Storms Vengence
by Sleazy E
Summary: Benson, Jenna's father, is confronted with a curse he incured many years past. Now to make matter worse he discovers his daughter Jenna is life-mate with a halfbreed. What will he do?
1. Chapter 1

The trees leaned drunkenly against one another around the frozen lake. Snow lay over their boughs like tattered blankets, occasionally crashing to the ground with a thud for no reason. To the east and west of the lake stood high craggy mountains lost behind a veil of clouds, and to the north and south ran the valley

Quiet. It was the sound of an icebound land locked into a deep winter. No birds sang in the trees or from the empty berry bushes. Foxes, weasels, ermine, and bobcats didn't hunt each other in the shallow snows at the base of the trees or in the brown cattails of the lake edge. No moose hid in the woods. Even the wind held it's breath for fear of making the trees rustle. Nothing moved, nothing spoke, and nothing breathed.

Sounds faintly came into focus in the distance, first dogs barking, their voices growing and shrinking as they moved over the contours of the lands and through the trees. Then a man's voice followed. "Come on boys, git `er, git up and git going. Come on we almos` got `er." It came quiet and distant and full of breathless toil, but moving ever closer to the lake edge.

Suddenly the black she-wolf broke through the cattails on the edge of the lake and stood looking ahead. She rested and panted and breathed hard as fog lifted from her breath and carried over her head. The hair on her muzzle and ears were white with a thin layer of frost

She looked behind her and could hear the dogs in the darkness of the trees where her trail came from. It had only been luck she made it this far without them catching her. The trees had been a great help.

She looked along the edge of the lake and knew she wouldn't be able to keep ahead of them if she went that way, especially if they weren't afraid of the ice. She hated lakes, she hated ice, and she hated dogs. She had to make a choice before they caught up with her.

But she had no more time as two dogs rushed from the trees behind her and bolted for her barking. She ran out on the ice and pushed with everything she had. She fortunately had a new boost of energy from her short rest and quickly put thirty feet between her and the two dogs running. She dared not look back as she ran for fear she would discover her poor performance. She made it halfway across the little lake and took a glance over her shoulder. The two dogs with ice on their muzzles still followed. But they loped along nearly a hundred feet behind and looked tired and frustrated at their own performance. At the far edge of the lake four more dogs came out onto the ice.

Suddenly a crack sliced through the air. A pain shot into her left hip. Her thigh and back exploded in pain and she dropped forwards on the ice and cried out as she rolled and cried and yelped and stood and fell again in pain and despair. She lay in the snow on her side with her left hip in the air gasping. Slowly she raised her head and looked back at her hip. Blood oozed out of a tattered hole where the white bones of her shattered leg twisted around in a grotesque way.

She knew her hip had been hit by a rifle bullet. It had happened long ago to her father. She remembered all to well watching him slowly die at the mouth of the den when she had been a pup. She knew she didn't have a chance to make it any further, especially if she had to outrun six dogs on three legs. All she could do now was wait for them to get her.

Suddenly the two dogs jumped on her snarling and nipping. One of them bit and tugged on her back left paw. The pain sent her lurching up at him and snapping her teeth as he leapt away fearfully. The other dog quickly seized her neck from behind. He bit until his teeth broke her black fur and blood moistened his jaws.

"Don't move an inch lobo." The dog which had her by the neck snarled. He let her go. "You lost and we win."

The wolf turned her head around to see the dog speaking to her. He was a dark rust colored dog with a white face and white socks on his front and back paws. "There are no winners, only losers." She said defiantly.

"Shut it." The other dog snarled. He sounded younger than the first dog and was colored mostly brown with some black on his face. "You know what's going to happen to you." He smiled and spoke with a childish thrill. "You're going to have your skin cut off and you'll be hung up on a wall as a triumph of our chasing skills. I'll look at you every day and smile … but you'll never look at me, because you'll be dead and without eyes. You'll be in darkness." He smiled and growled, pacing back and forth as if on guard. "Just you wait."

"We will all die eventually." The she-wolf responded calmly.

"Not scared to die huh? You wolves think you're so tough. You think nothing will scare you" The young dog growled.

"I'll show you how to scare them." The rust colored dog said from behind the she-wolf. He moved around her and put his face close to hers and growled. "It will be a pleasure to watch you die. I hate running after wolves. I especially hate running after mother wolves who try to cover their tracks." He sat down just far enough away he could jump from an attack. "You probably think you're pretty sneaky." He looked at her eyes, they had changed to a sullen frustration, and he knew he was hitting on the right cords. "You probably think you made it away from you're den without us noticing."

Suddenly the she-wolf snarled and leapt with teeth towards his throat. He jumped back. The other dog moved around and bit down on her broken leg. The she wolf snarled at the young dog as he leapt away. Then she laid whimpering in pain in the snow. "You stay away from them!" She growled at the older dog.

"Oh? Who?" The older dog said circling around her. She kept her eyes firmly locked on him as he circled. "Maybe you're referring to you're white mate we cornered in the den?"

The she-wolf growled and kept her eyes on him as he continued walking around her.

"We backed him down in that hole you call a home, and our master burned wood until he came running out with tears in his eyes. Then my master shot him dead, just like you will be."

"Shut up!" The she-wolf growled. "Do not speak to me these lies!"

"Then you're pups." The older dog grinned and licked his chops as he circled around in front of the she-wolf again. "I never tasted something as good and filling as wolf pups. Just a little snack to keep me running after you." He whispered seductively at her.

The she-wolf leapt to her feet and bolted at him on her three good legs snarling and snapping her teeth, using the pain to propel her on to kill this dog. The older dog bolted away. The younger dog tried to catch the she-wolf's broken leg. But the she wolf turned before he could catch her and ripped into the young dog's muzzle, leaving a wound about six inches long. She then fell in the snow, to exhausted to try catching the older dog again. The young dog bolted away from them across the ice to the man coming with snowshoes and a rifle.

The she-wolf looked at the man with the dogs at his feet running across the ice for her. She turned and looked into the older dog's eyes. "Let me tell you something Benson. With my last breath I take on this earth I vow to come down and have a personal paw in your death. It may not be today, or tomorrow, but one of these days I will come down from the happy hunting ground to be your killer." She looked into him and burned his image into her eyes so she would recognize him when the time came.

Benson looked into her eyes with a terrible fear spread across his face. "How did you know my name?"

Before she drew another breath the crack of the master's gun broke through the silence. The bullet ripped through the she-wolf's neck and she slumped forwards into the snow amid a quickly growing pool of blood. She was dead.

Benson's friends and master surrounded him and the dead she-wolf with congratulations and yips of excitement. But Benson didn't feel rejoice in his heart. He instead had a deep inquisition, 'how did she know my name?' The thought resounded in his skull as the excitement went on around him like a distant drumming. And for the first time as the hunt ended, Benson felt cold and afraid.

The she-wolf's warning ate at Benson for several days. For those first few days he refused to sleep, and he rarely ate. His mind went around and around, replaying the scene in his mind to see if he could find something he missed. Had Morse said his name? He felt pretty sure he hadn't. Then how did she know his name?

After a few days - and nothing have yet happened to cause caution - Benson found himself to exhausted to continue being afraid of the she-wolf's warning. He slipped into a deep sleep and didn't wake until the sun rose the next day. He ate his food and licked his bowl clean. Fortunately nobody noticed his perturbed behavior, or at least didn't mention it, so he didn't have to explain it away. Time went on and soon Benson forgot about the she-wolf.

Winter turned to spring and when the first warm breeze blew from the south Benson's master, William Diond, hooked them up and piled the furs into the sled and moved out of the mountains into the town of Mukluk. Mukluk was mostly a native community on the shore of the Bearing Sea, but several white families called it home as well. There they fell into the summer habits of sleeping, eating, keeping away from the sun, and looking around for mates.

It didn't take two days before Benson made himself known to a beautiful rust colored purebred husky named Cleo. Her master lived next door to Benson's master. Cleo's master was an older woman with graying hair who came to Alaska because she had seen beautiful pictures in some magazine. She had bought Cleo in the south as company for the trip and brought her to Mukluk on a steamer in the spring.

It didn't take William long to notice his attractive neighbor named Susan and begin hanging around her house doing small chores and taking her to the picture show in town.

Cleo was funny, smart, always poking fun at Benson and herself. She had dreams of being a sled dog and running trails in the winter and being out in the land. But she had the mind of a realist and knew she didn't have the brawn or grit to be a sled dog. She also didn't have a great fondness of extreme cold. She spoke rarely of her dream and always tried to pretend it didn't bother her that she would never do it, or at least she didn't show it bothered her.

Benson, on the other paw, was very egotistical, but he also had the ability to laugh at himself when Cleo poked fun at him. He didn't tell her much about his wolf hunting because she pressed on him that she disliked the killing of wolves. He only told her of his being a sled dog on a trap line and that they did get wolves sometimes. Although the house full of wolf skins told otherwise.

Cleo often tried to get Benson to regale her with stories about the woods and running on a team, and Benson had a few stories to tell.

They spent most of their days together strolling around and chatting about nothing really. They went down to the edge of the ocean and watched the icebergs floating on the sea. They took walks together up the nearby river, and for two days became trapped on the opposite shore as the ice broke up and the river flooded. During those two days away from home Cleo first became pregnant.

As spring rolled steadily into summer Cleo's belly began to bulge with puppies. Cleo and Benson took fewer long walks together and opted instead to stay around town in case Cleo went into labor and needed to get near her bed.

Then on the third of July Cleo went into labor in the small doghouse behind her masters house. She had six puppies, but one came out a stillbirth. Cleo fell into a heartbroken depression about the dead pup and remained silent for several days no matter what Benson said to try and cheer her up. Eventually she came around and forgot about the one pup and began working to raise her other pups the best she could.

They started out by naming them. There were four boys and one girl who was much smaller than the boys and looked more sickly. The boys they named; Quin, Rolf, Spear, and Storr. But Benson already had a name for his daughter. He wanted to name her after his sister.

When Benson had been a pup his sister was attacked by a wolf when they were playing in the woods near the cabin. Benson, even though just a pup himself, managed to chase the wolf away, sustaining some scrapes and bruises himself. His sister lived for five brutal days. She only awoke once and weakly thanked Benson for what he did. But for most of the time she lay on her stomach and struggled to breath. Finally she passed away and her breathing stopped. William Diod buried her out behind the cabin unceremoniously.

So the decision came with tears in Benson's eyes, his daughter would be named Jenna.

The pups grew fast, especially the boys. But to Bensons surprise his little girl Jenna, even though she was the runt of the liter and smaller than her brothers, seemed to be growing a better head on her shoulders. Benson felt happy his daughter was becoming a natural leader, especially when she began to take walks around town without telling anybody. She also began leading her brothers on nature hikes to explore the world. But Benson had to scold her for this and warn her about evil things which hunted in the night. It didn't help because Jenna still did what she wanted. Benson smiled inwardly and had high hopes for his little girl.

More than once Benson took Jenna on all day walks, just the two of them. Benson would tell story after story and show her the world she found herself in. He felt, in a way, as though he discovered his long lost sister in the form of his daughter and he didn't want to lie to her or ever say an evil word in her presence. He even thanked her on one occasion. Jenna felt mystified. Benson had tears in his eyes.

It came time in the early fall when Benson's master and Cleo's master tied the knot in the town church. It was also decided Cleo's master would stay in town with Cleo to open a post office. And Benson's master would go out in the woods to provide money for them. Cleo's master didn't want to be away from people or the church. Benson's master enjoyed his solitude. But he promised he would come into town at least once a week to see her.

Also in this time a steamer arrived with William Diond's baby brother on it. He brought his wife and young daughter named Rosy. They were on their way to Nome Alaska to open a general store. It also came time to give the pups away to homes before they grew too old to be cute to the humans. Rosy fell in love with Jenna, and Jenna fell in love with Rosy. Together they romped and played like two halves of the same soul. Benson knew his daughter would be in good hands with this girl.

After a week and a wedding Rosy put a bandana on Jenna, took her up in her arms, and they jumped on the steamer bound for Nome. Benson watched from the shore as his daughter went up the gangplank and the boat vanished over the horizon. He wasn't sure if he would see her again, but he hoped one day he would.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

(_Four years later) _

The knock caught Jenna off guard and brought her upright from a deep sleep. She sat on the carpet in front of the fireplace looking at the front door through the rocking chair in the living room. Had someone knocked on the door, or was it just Rosy playing upstairs? She turned her head up and looked at the ceiling above her to better hear into Rosy's room.

_Knock, knock, knock. _Came three hard thumps on the front door.

Jenna jumped to her feet and barked four times in response. She rushed from the fire to the front window by the door and peered out through the lace curtains. A young boy with blond hair under a wool hat wearing a thin sweatshirt stood on the step looking in at her. Jenna barked at the boy and he smiled in response.

Rosy's father came down the stairs in his socks and pants holding a smoking pipe in one hand. "Jenna calm down." He said stepping to the front door and grasping the knob. He opened the door.

"Excuse me sir." The boys said. "I was told to bring you this telegram."

Jenna watched the boy hand Rosy's father a yellow slip of paper with writing on it.

"Well thank you very much." Rosy's father said taking the paper. He reached into his pocket and jangled some change before coming up with one. "Here's five cents."

"Thank you sir." The boy said taking the coin and stepping off the porch.

Rosy's father closed the door and looked at the telegram.

"Who was that honey." Said Rosy's mother from the top of the stairs. She had a dirty rag in her hand and an apron tied around her waste.

"It was just a boy brining by a telegram." Rosy's father responded.

"Well, who's it from?"

Rosy's father reached into his shirt pocket and produced a set of reading glasses. He unfolded them and put them on and looked at the paper. "It's from my older brother William." He read more of it. "He say's him and his wife are coming on the eleven o-clock steamer to visit for a few days."

"Oh that's good. It's been a while since we've seen them." Rosy's mother said going back into one of the upstairs rooms.

Suddenly Rosy stood at the top of the stairs in jeans and a red wool sweatshirt. She had her reading glasses on and a pencil in her hand. She had been doing homework in her room. "Who's visiting?" She said.

"Oh just my older brother."

"You have an older brother?"

Rosy's father looked up from the telegram. "Why yes, I do."

"Does he have anyone my age?"

Rosy's father took his glasses off and put them back in his pocket. "You know. I really haven't talked to him in a long time. I'm not sure. I doubt it though. But he say's they're bringing their dogs Cleo and Benson. Do you remember Benson and Cleo sweetheart?"

Rosy shook her head no.

Rosy's father looked at Jenna. "They're Jenna's parents."

"Well that's nice to know. I bet Jenna can't wait to have a family reunion. I bet Jenna's going to be so excited. But old dog's aren't any fun." Rosy's face turned sour with the prospect of just adults and old dogs coming to visit and she went back to her room. Rosy's father moved up the stairs with the telegram in his hand and his pipe hanging loosely from his lip.

Jenna suddenly felt a ting of fear roll up over her spine into the back of her head. It had been so long since she had seen her father. It felt like a hundred years ago, a lifetime ago. She honestly couldn't remember much about her father. The years had been long and many things in Jenna's life had changed. But she remembered one thing her father would not understand no matter how much time had passed, and that was the fact she loved a half-breed who looked like a wolf.

How would she ever explain it to him? How would she go and say, 'Here's my son's Kodi, Dakota, and … oh what's that dad? Who's their father? Well, he's kind of exotic; he's kind of a loner. No mom he doesn't live in town. I'm pretty sure he's not a purebred dad. You want to meet him? I don't think he's around right now. No I don't think he's seeing other girl's mom. You say that we should go see him now then. But dad you just got here. No I'm not stalling. No dad, I'm not trying to hide anything from you. Oh wait, here he is. Mom, dad, I would like you to meet my mate Balto. No dad don't hurt him! Dad come back! Stop chasing him. Dad no!'

The terribly play went on in Jenna's head like a second-rate movie she wished she could walk away from. But now she had to face the awful truth. She was in love with a half-breed who looked like a pure wolf. And her father's job for his entire life had been to hunt wolves down and kill them.

Jenna looked out the window at the early fall weather. A black cloud signaled the possibility of a rain storm. She sat in the window and waited to see if the rain would come. She had to go see Balto.

The rain shower never came and the black clouds passed over the town on little more than a wispy breeze. The sun came out and shined in the front window, it was time to go.

Jenna waited for Rosy's mother to come down the stairs. It didn't take long before she strolled down – she had been going up and down them all morning between the bedroom and the kitchen doing extensive cleaning of the upstairs bedroom. Jenna quickly stood and followed her into the kitchen where she scratched at the back-door and yipped. Rosy's mother turned from the sink and opened the back door and let Jenna slip out without a word.

A light breeze blew through the streets and ruffled Jenna's fur as she stood on the concrete step by the wood pile. Several dried leaves blew by like noisy tin wheels down a hill. The air had a distinct chill in it, and the brutal smell of ice on the way. It probably wouldn't be more than a day or two before a big storm hit and dumped two or three feet of snow, signaling the onset of winter. But Jenna had other, more pressing issues to deal with.

She turned off the step and made her way for the southeast edge of town. She cut through alleys and moved along the streets past people and other dogs braced against the wind and hardly aware of her presence. She made it to the telegraph office and wasted no time as she set out for the last mile-long jaunt to Balto's boat.

Nearly quarter of the way out to the boat Jenna noticed a wolfish form traveling towards her. She knew right away it had to be Balto. They met about halfway between the boat and the town with the wind whipping off the sea and ruffling their fur. Balto instantly brushed up against Jenna's neck and nuzzled her for a moment. She nuzzled him back in return and then they broke apart and stood looking at each other.

"You must have been thinking about me." Balto said with a coy smile. "Because I was just thinking about you."

Jenna wasted no time. "Balto, I have a problem. My parents are coming to Nome and I don't know what to do."

Balto turned his head sideways to hear her better against the wind. "What's wrong with that? I can't wait to meet you parents."

"You don't understand Balto. My father is … well… um." The wind suddenly started to pick up and whip their fur around like flags on a pole. Both of them couldn't hear the other without yelling. Jenna felt a cold cutting through her fur and a shiver beginning to work under her skin.

"Jenna, I can't hear you." Balto yelled. "Let's get out of this wind."

They moved towards the town and stood on the leeward side of the telegraph office under the drip-line of the roof. The wind blew with a beastly violence around the edge of the building.

"Now what was it you were saying Jenna?"

"My parents are coming to Nome and I don't know what to do about it."

"About what?" Balto asked. But before she even had to say anything Balto already knew and his face sunk. "Oh, about me."

"No!" Jenna barked. "Don't even think that."

"It's alright Jenna. I'll just lay low for a couple days. You can tell them I'm off in some other town until the snow comes. We'll get the kids to play along and-"

"No!" Jenna barked. "I don't want to lie to my parents. …" She remained quiet for a long moment, letting her head hang low between her shoulders as she composed herself. "It's just that you don't understand it."

"I don't understand what." Balto said leaning his head down close to hers. "If you feel you're parents will think less of you because you love a wolf, then let's take me out of the picture. I really won't mind."

"No." Jenna said flatly. "The thing is my dad, Benson, has been very hateful towards wolves his whole life."

Balto found a faint smile on his face. "Lot's of dogs are spiteful of wolves for one reason or another."

"Not my dad. For his entire life his only job has been to hunt wolves down and kill them and get their fur." Jenna looked up at Balto. "I just don't know what's going to happen when he meets you. I don't want to lie to my dad; we've always shared a special thing together. We promised each other that we would never lie to the other. So I just can't lie. I'd feel like I was breaking the only thing special between us." Jenna dropped her head again.

Balto looked at his mate and thought deeply about it for a minute. "I see the problem. …What if we just went around the truth?"

Jenna looked up. "How?"

Balto looked up at the sky in the far distance. White fluffy clouds blew over the distant mountains topped with caps of snow. A mosquito buzzed in his ear and a bird struggled to launch itself off the ground in the wind. "I don't know. I thought maybe you might have an idea."

"If I did I would have already done it." Jenna lowered her head once again between her shoulders.

Balto leaned into Jenna and let his head slide over her back in a comforting way. "Don't worry about it Jenna. I don't think you're dad is going to do anything, and I don't think he'll look down on you for loving who you choose."

Jenna didn't say anything for a long time. The two of them sat side by side for and listened to the wind. Finally Jenna spoke. "We'll just have to break the news to him easy."

"Okay. How?"

Jenna raised her head up and looked at Balto. "With as much finesse as we can."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Evening slowly came around like it did in the north where the sun couldn't be used as a practical gauge for a day. The sun set in the ocean and the cold from the day became encased under the blanket of stars appearing out of nowhere. The wind died down to nothing more than a slow breath moving through the streets like an empty ghost. Lamps came on in the houses and shined out through the windows without any order as to where they landed. All across town dogs and cats were put out for the night and they moseyed off into the night for their own reasons.

Balto hunkered down and waited for Jenna across the alley from the back door to her house in the shadows. Next to him sat an upturned garbage can which smelled of meat. Below Balto was a thin piece of cardboard which kept him off the cold snow. Here was his usual waiting place when he had to wait for Jenna to come out at night.

Inside the house he could hear Rosy talking to her mother and father. Someone moved around in the kitchen. Balto presumed it to be Rosy's mother by her silhouette in the window above the sink.

After a short time Balto heard Jenna scratch on the inside of the door. Balto guessed Rosy must have answered Jenna's call by the way her footsteps skipped across the kitchen and opened the door. "There you go girl. Now don't stay out to late."

Jenna stepped out onto the cement porch and let her eyes adjust. "Balto?"

Balto stepped forward off the cardboard and walked up and nuzzled her soothingly, then stepped back. "So do you have your plan all worked out?"

"Yes. We need to first go talk to Kodi, then we'll go to the boiler-room and get Dakota in on it."

They walked across town in the alleys. This happened to be Balto's choice because he didn't like being out on the front streets where he could be seen by people who might mistake him for something dangerous, – also Balto knew his way around the alley's better than the brightly lit streets. They walked side by side and close enough together to feel each others warmth. The alleys were dark and full of eyes. Rats, cat's, and mice watched Balto and Jenna move from their hiding places.

"So do you know when the steamer gets here?" Balto asked at ease.

"It's going to be some time tomorrow afternoon." Jenna looked at Balto. "At least that's what I figured. I'm not sure if he's going to be on that one or the one coming in two days. I'm sure I'll know tomorrow."

Balto and Jenna walked on side by side.

When they got to Mr. Simpsons house Kodi jumped up from his doghouse and walked to meet Balto and Jenna. Dusty, Ralph, and Kirby looked at Balto and Jenna and sluggishly rose from their houses to greet them.

Mr. Simpson's house looked busy. Lots of lamps burned in the windows and lots of talking went back and forth in a jovial way. Through one window they could see people walking around with cups and presents. Someone swung a cake down onto the table.

"What's going on?" Balto said as they came up to Kodi.

Kodi looked nonchalantly over his shoulder at the little square house with the smoking chimney and blue siding. Behind the house the Nome River babbled almost out of audible range. A couple poplar trees stood in the low light of the evening behind the house "It's Mr. Simpson's birthday."

Dusty stepped to Kodi's side, followed by Kirby and Ralph next to her. All of them looked fat and tired at the end of their off season. In a few more week's they would get back to pulling the mail sled their fat would be burned off and they would look fit again. But for now they looked like cancerous overweight soars plagued with listlessness and uncomprehending boredom.

"Hello Jenna, Balto. It's been a long time since you two have been around." Dusty said with enthusiasm. Her tale wagged back and forth and she looked expectantly at Balto and Jenna.

"Hello Dusty. It has been a while. I'm sorry I haven't been around, but you know how it goes with children. Besides you never come and see me so..." Jenna responded.

"I guess I just never find the time or the energy in the summer to go anywhere either. I just kind of want to sleep all the time."

"I know that." Balto smiled. "It's hard to do anything in the sun when you're constantly wearing a fur coat." everyone giggled

When everyone stopped laughing Jenna began. "Now we came here to do more than just visit. We have a little problem and we were wondering if we could get Kodi's help with it. You all can come and help if you want to."

Kirby and Ralph looked at each other and gave a bored facial expression. Both of them looked as if they had no interest in doing anything.

"I'll help." Dusty said right away.

"Why not." Kodi replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"It depends." Kirby said.

Balto looked squarely at him. "What would it have to depend on?"

"On what we're going to be fed." Ralph shot back before Kirby could open his mouth.

"No!' Kirby said pushing Ralph with his paw. Ralph fell sideways, but caught himself with an outstretched paw. "I mean it depends on what you want our help with."

"Yeah, what do you need us to help with mom?" Kodi asked.

Jenna began to tell the tale from the very beginning. She told about her father and his job and how his master and he were coming to Nome tomorrow. Jenna then expressed her concerns on what he might do when he met Balto.

"Well why don't you just tell him Balto's out of town for a few days?" Kirby suddenly cut in on Jenna.

Jenna told them how she and her father had a special bond where they wouldn't lie to one another. At this Kirby rolled his eyes, but remained silent while Jenna continued. When Jenna had finished telling them about this she paused for a breath when Dusty suddenly spoke.

"So what do you want us to help you with Jenna? It sounds like you haven't really given yourself a choice. He's got to meet Balto and that's that."

"Yes," Jenna replied with an idealistic smile. "But we're going to introduce my dad to Balto with as much ease as we can. We're going to slowly bring out the truth with your help."

"I think I see what's going to happen." Kodi shook his head. "You're going to bring your dad around and we're going to drop little clues about what dad is."

"Exactly!" Jenna barked. She looked sidelong at Balto He gave a smile at her. "So tomorrow when I bring my dad around give him little clues about what Balto is. Don't outright say it, but just … you know, finesse it."

Ralph twisted his head sideway. "Do you mean, 'fitness it?'"

"No, finesse, it means to do it elegantly." Dusty said.

Ralph looked at her even more befuddled. "So what's this got to do about geese?"

Kirby rolled his eyes and put his paw over his face in embarrassment. "Oh boy," He whispered quietly as he set his paw down. "Listen, just don't tell Jenna's dad Balto looks like a wolf."

"Okay, I think I got that." Ralph replied with a smile. Everyone else internally put a paw to their face in embarrassment.

Balto and Jenna moved back through town, once again using the dark alleys. They made their way to the boiler room by the ocean which lapped with unending repetition against the shore. By now the late night had begun to move on and turn the cold even colder and the dark even darker. Balto and Jenna walked with their shoulders touching. Their breath blew up over their heads in thick white clouds which blotted tiny ice crystals to their fur.

"It's cold." Jenna said.

"Yes. Winters coming soon." Balto looked at the stars above the building as if reading something from them. "It's probably going to snow in two days."

Jenna looked at him. "I thought it felt more like tonight."

"No." Balto said smiling at her. "It's to cold to snow. Even when it does snow it's not going to snow much down here. In the mountains it will snow quiet a bit. It will probably be mostly wind and cold down here. Maybe some drifts of one or two feet might build up here and there, but for the most part there won't be anything but cold."

Jenna looked cross at Balto. "How do you know that much about it!?!"

Balto smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and looked the other way as if saying she would never know how he knew. "It's a wolf thing."

Jenna scowled at him in a friendly way and they continued on around the corner.

When they got to the door of the boiler room they could hear voices and a bunch of girls intoxicated with their own giggling. Then they heard the voice of a boy telling a story and laughing along with the girls.

Balto raised his paw up in front of Jenna before she reached the door and tried to push her way in. She looked at him in wonderment and he whispered in a very quiet voice. "Hold on, let's listen in."

They stood in front of the door and pressed their ears close to the cold wood.

"Okay," The boy's voice resounded. Jenna and Balto both knew it to be Dakota's right away. "So I'm just walking along next to this river when this huge polar bear comes tearing out of the woods at me."

The girls gasped.

"So you know what I did?"

"No, what?" One of the girls said.

"Well, first off I just stood my ground. And believe me this bear was terrifying. If anyone other than me had been there they would have high-tailed it before the bear even hit the water and been run down and eaten before they knew what hit them, but not me. I just looked that bear in the eyes and stared at him without any fear.

"That must have been what did the trick though. I think this bear could sense I wasn't afraid of him. I think it was my rock-hard nerves that did it, because as soon as that bear and I locked eyes he just stopped. He stood and looked at me, almost testing to see if I would run, but I didn't.

"So then the bear turns as if he's had enough fun with me, and I think, 'you know what, I'm going to play a little game with this bear since he wants to play games.' So as soon as the bear turned I ran up behind him, jumped up on his back and ran right over his head."

The girls in the room giggled and jumped and laughed and moaned with excitement. As soon as it quieted down again Dakota started up.

"Now I didn't know how fast a polar bear was. He looked far too big to run very fast, so I figured I could outrun him no problem. But the bear was quick with his paws and he knocked me down with one quick swipe."

"So then what happened?" Another girl insisted.

"So now I'm lying on my back with my front paws stuck back in this bears jaws when all of the sudden I get this idea that I should-"

Balto looked at Jenna and rolled his eyes. "Let's end this before it gets out of hand."

Jenna giggled. "I think it might have already gone to far."

Balto smiled at her. "Stay here and watch this."

Balto pushed the door open. Dakota's story stopped in mid-sentence as they looked to see who entered the room.

Suddenly the three girls jumped to their feet and backed into the corner behind Dakota. "Help it's a wolf!"

"What's he doing here!?!"

"Dakota get him!"

The three girls looked young, maybe a year younger than Dakota. Their brownish fur and similar markings told Balto they must have been sisters. Balto had never seen them around town so they obviously had never seen him before.

Dakota looked behind him at the girls cowering and waiting for their shining hero to rip the intruding wolf limb from limb before their eyes.

"What are you waiting for?" One of the girls said. "Chase him out of here. Do something."

Dakota looked at Balto and cocked his head sideways while giving a pleading face. It was a face Balto clearly recognized when Dakota had been a pup and gave the same face when he wanted to have a pretend brawl with his dad. He then mouthed the words clearly. '_Come on, help me.'_ He then cocked his head, indicating towards the three girls.

Balto looked over his shoulder at Jenna who stood behind him outside the door and out of sight of the girls. She shook her head at the whole prospect.

Without another thought to it Balto flattened his ears against his head and turned back to Dakota and lowered his head in a vicious growl. Dakota jumped to his feet. "Stay back girls. I'll handle this."

"You think you can take me dog, then let's do this." With a snarl Balto charged ahead into the room. Dakota ran straight at his dad. And just as they should have leapt at each other, snarling and barking, and then fall to the floor and begin tussling like they had in years past, Balto leapt to the side and turned back and lightly bit hold of Dakota's back paw. Dakota fell to the floor with a weighty thud and at once Balto jumped on his back with his full weight pressing Dakota into the floor. Balto bit the scruff of Dakota's neck like he did when he had been a pup and declared himself victorious. "Hey dad, just pretend, just pretend. Uncle, uncle, now get off, stop it. I'm not a pup anymore. Stop it!!!" Dakota then began to giggle as Balto poked his soft sides with his paw. "Stop it!!!" Dakota yelled again and again and again.

At this Jenna appeared in the room and paced past Balto to the three girls. "I hope our son hasn't been telling you too many tall tales. But Balto and I need to talk to him alone now if that would be alright?"

The girls suddenly understood it had all been a ploy and their faces turned to venom. The three girls stood and departed for the door with their tails held high. The last girl in line stopped next to Balto who still sat on top of Dakota. Dakota looked feebly up at her with a look of great loss on his face. "You should stop telling so many lies Dakota. It's bad for you"

Balto smiled at her. "We tried to teach him. But he doesn't learn fast so I got to set him straight every now and then."

The girl smiled warily at Balto, still unsure about him. She then departed after her friends and they were gone.

"Why do you always have to ruin my good time?" Dakota said looking up at his mother who stood in front of him now. "I had something great going on there, and look what you did. No wait; I know who the brain behind this is Dad." Dakota curled his head sideways and looked at Balto out of the corner of his eyes.

Balto looked at Jenna. "Do you think I should let him up with that kind of attitude?"

Jenna grinned. "No, tickle him some more and see how he behaves."

"No!! Don't you dare tickle me. I'll behave. Now just please … get off me."

"That's more like it." Balto stepped off Dakota and sat down on the floor next to him. Dakota pulled himself to a sitting position and looked at his mother and father with a less than cheerful look.

"What do you want from me anyways? I don't have anything for you."

"We need your help with something." Balto said.

Dakota looked at him and stared into his eyes. "Yeah? Well I wanted your help with those triplets there and look what you did. I'll be lucky if they ever talk to me again. So no, I'm not going to help you two with whatever menial task you have set aside for me."

"Dakota don't be this way." Jenna said rolling her eyes. "You know if you kept going on with that stupid story they would have walked out on you eventually when they realized none of it was true."

Dakota looked at his mother a little softer, as if he just camee to realize something he hadn't though of. "Yeah, I guess so. But I wasn't thinking that far ahead."

"I know." Jenna said simply. She looked at her son and felt a deep compassion for how much he had yet the learn. "Tell you what Dakota. I know a girl who knows a girl with a daughter about your age. She's a very nice girl and would love to meet you. But you can't tell her any stories or pump yourself up, just tell her the truth."

Dakota looked at his mother a little angrier. "What makes you think I need your help? And what makes you think I'll like your friends, friends daughter anyways?"

"I don't know. I just have a mother's intuition about these things. But if you want to meet her you've got to help us. If you don't want to help us and just want to keep telling stories go right ahead."

Dakota looked as though he were thinking about it. Then he began reluctantly "Okay, I guess I'll help you two in exchange for meeting this girl. What's her name?"

"Quin."

"Not a very beautiful sounding name."

"Don't let her name fool you."

"So what do you need help with?"

Jenna and Balto told Dakota exactly what they wanted him to do, and Dakota listened and agreed to help and not be too much of a show off. When everything had been agreed upon Balto and Jenna moved to leave and they apologized for ruining his evening.

"So when do you think I'll be able to meet Quin?" Dakota asked as Balto and Jenna stepped outside the door.

"Tomorrow afternoon sometime. Just be here in the afternoon and I'll bring her around" Jenna said and they left.

When they were far enough away from the boiler room Balto turned to Jenna. "What was that all about?"

"What was what about?" Jenna replied.

"That. With Quin and Dakota and all that helping him." Balto said.

"Oh that." Jenna giggled. "I've known Quin's mother for some time, and Quin has had the biggest crush on Dakota for as long as I can remember. So when I saw an opportunity for Dakota to meet her and do something for us, I took it. I had been planning on sitting down with Dakota for some time and setting up a date for them to meet, but I just haven't had the chance until now."

Balto looked blankly at her. "I don't understand."

Jenna giggled, looked away as if she knew he would never understand. "It's a dog thing."

Balto smiled and laughed and they continued off into the night laughing together.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Night passed and went. The stars went around in the sky and the sun came up and the moon went down. The land turned from dark and mysterious to bright and orange. All the people came out of their houses and went about their daily chores with puffs of steam rising from their breath. The cold from the night before loosened it's grip, but not altogether let go.

Jenna got up early and went to her friend's house to set up a date with Quin and Dakota later in the day. Then she went and sat in front of the telegraph office to look towards the southeast where the boat would come from.

The sun moved through the sky. Then at about noon on the clock in the telegram office the ship appeared on the horizon. It came under a black cloud of smoke moving slowly along towards Nome. It took a good hour for it to move from just an insignificant dot on the horizon to a three hundred foot ship moving just offshore. Jenna quickly went to the dock and sat on a crate and watched as the boat pulled into the dock

The sound from deep within the ship – the steam engines – grew silent and only the thick black smoke wafted up out of the great hulking smokestack. People came out onto the deck and looked at the little town and pointed and talked. The lines were cast off the ship and tied to great metal bars sticking out of the dock. Soon a large wooden plank appeared from the boat and the crane hoisted it down off the boat. The giant crane with it's massive hook began to latch onto large wood boxes deep in the ship and set them on the dock in a perfect line.

Jenna watched as people came from the town and began to tear the crates apart and haul the assorted contents away on their backs and in their arms and on carts. She watched as people began filing down the gangplank onto the dock. Nervousness crept up Jenna's spine as she searched the jostling crowds of people for her parents.

She also searched through the people faces. They all looked so strange. There were old faces and young faces. Kids danced about with bright smiles and songs, parents held their hands and walked with a purpose. Mining men hunkered low under their bags full of their life's possessions headed out into the town and then out into the hills searching for the gold they would never find. Nonetheless they all moved off the dock and into town. Some of the people had dogs. The male dogs took long looks at Jenna as she sat on her crate, but they all passed as their mastered called them on.

Jenna began to feel even more nervous. But it felt like more than just being nervous, it felt like a strange sort of excitement which made her want to jump about and bark for no reason. She just wanted to release all the energy banging around in her legs and feet and try to break out of her body and take flight.

Suddenly there he was, and there she was beside him. They had on leashes and stood close to their masters William and Susan with a small pile of bags. Jenna remembered them all. They all looked the same, only a little older. Her father still retained his muscular shoulders and hips. He had only grown a little fatter around the midsection and a little greyer around the muzzle. Her mother looked the same as the day Jenna left her to go to Nome. She looked just a little more haggard in her figure with weathered fur from long cold years gone by.

Jenna sat for a long time on the crate, afraid to move. Would they recognize her? 'Of course they will,' Jenna told herself. 'So then why am I having so much trouble going over there? What will I say to them?' Before she knew it she jumped off the crate and moved towards them through the throngs of people.

"Jenna!" Benson suddenly barked.

"Jenna?" Cleo said turning and looking where her mate did. They both went to the end of their leashes and stood side by side as Jenna walked up.

"Hi mom. Hi dad." Jenna said nuzzling both of them in turn. "How was your trip?"

"It was pretty cramped." Cleo said first.

"We didn't get to walk around much. We only got to go out on the deck twice to walk around. The rest of the time we just stayed in the cabin. But all the pain was worth it just to see you." Benson said with a smile. "My you've really filled out. I half expected you would still be a little pup bouncing around in a huff like your tail was missing."

"Well," Jenna said looking over her shoulder at her body. "I guess I just grew up."

"And you became very beautiful young lady," Benson smiled. "I bet you have all the boys chasing your around."

Jenna smiled forcefully. "Well, I'm kind of already taken."

"Really?" Cleo said.

"And I already have grownup children of my own."

At this Cleo and Benson's eyes went up in their head and they looked at each other with pure shock on their faces. "Really?" Benson said. "That just makes me feel really old. When will we get to meet your mate and your children?"

"Some time today after your master's get settled in." Jenna smiled back. "How long are you here for?"

"I think I heard Susan say eight days." Cleo replied.

"Well that's good. I hope it wasn't too terrible a trip and you're not too tired to go on a tour later on."

"Oh, don't fuss about us Jenna." Cleo said. "We're fine. We'd be happy to go for a walk. Right Benson?"

"I would love to go on a walk. I'm so stiff. A walk would be just what I need." Benson stretched his legs out and curled his back down to the dock.

"Ok." Jenna giggled helplessly like she did when she was a pup. "So anyways, welcome to Nome."

"It's kind of like Mukluk, just fewer trees." Benson said looking around the town.

"Little brother!" William suddenly shouted as Rosy with her mother and father came walking through the crowd towards them.

"William!" Rosy's father shouted back. "It's good to see you again." He shook Williams hand vigorously, and then hugged him. He then stepped back and held his arm out. "Of course you know my wife and my daughter."

The humans talked for several minutes about the trip and the town and any little thing which came to mind. Finally Rosy's father turned. "Come now. Let's get your things and get you settled in."

"That would be nice." William responded. Then they all took off through the town to the house.

The house came alive as the people moved bags up the stairs and they talked about sleeping arrangements and laughed loudly at seemingly everything. Rosy petted Benson and Cleo in front of the fireplace where they lay happily receiving her affectionate hand.

"Rosy." William suddenly said from the top of the stair.

Rosy turned and looked. "Yes sir?"

"Come up here. I have a present for you if you help us do a few things."

Rosy bounded away and up the stairs. The human's feet resounded through the floor above as they moved around and moved things around and talked endlessly.

"So Jenna," Cleo started. "What's your mate's name?"

"Balto." Jenna said glancing sidelong at her father to see if there might be a hint recognition in it. He didn't seem to react.

"Oh, that's such a lovely name." Cleo responded. "He sounds handsome."

"I think he is." Jenna replied.

"What about your children? What are they doing?" Benson said.

"Well, I haven't talked with some of them in a long time. But my son Kodi is the leader of the local mail team, and my son Dakota is kind of a housedog. He doesn't want to be though. He wants to be a hero like his father."

"So this Balto is a hero?" Benson said smiling, verging on being sarcastic.

"Yes dad, he actually is."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were making a joke." Benson said laughing apologetically.

"No I'm not. He saved Rosy and about two dozen other children who were sick with diphtheria."

"Wow, I guess that does classify him as a hero." Cleo said smiling.

"How did he do it?" Benson asked. "Tell us the story."

Jenna began to tell the story about how the kids got sick. She then told them about Steel and how he wasn't much of a good guy. She told how he had a great ego problem and how he cheated Balto out of a race, but she left out the part about Balto being half wolf. She also told about how Steel had a thing for her since the day Jenna got to Nome. Jenna then told about the storm and the team getting lost. She then told about how Balto went out after the team. She told about how all the other dogs in Nome thought he was stupid, or crazy, or both for going after them. Jenna told about the grizzly bear in great detail as to what happened and how she became injured and had to return and Balto had to go on alone. She told about how Balto had to fight Steel to get the lead of the team, how Balto fell off a cliff and had to bring the medicine back up the cliff. She told about how he went over an ice bridge, ran from an avalanche, and almost got killed in an ice cave. She then told about Steel saying Balto had doomed the team and there was no hope. She then told about Balto bringing the medicine into town under the cheers of all the people.

Jenna then told about how Balto had always had a crush on her and all the little things he did for her before, during, and after he became the town hero. She told about funny things, sad things, happy things. She told them how much she loved Balto, how she didn't think she could live if he went away.

Jenna watched as her parents listened to her talk and always asked question and urged her to go into detail about Balto, Steel, the avalanche, the ice bridge, the bear, and everything. But she always steered clear of any question which might signal Balto's half-wolf nature. Finally the story ended and they all sat around taking it all in. The humans had quieted down.

"Wow," Benson said with a breath. "He sounds like quiet a dog. He sounds like more dog than I ever was. I can't wait to meet him and thank him personally for saving those children and for falling in love with you."

"Speaking of going and meeting Balto," Cleo started. "I think it's about time we go for that walk."

"I agree." Benson said pulling his stiff body up. "Let's go out."

The sun already moved far across the sky and headed like a lead weight for a nosedive in the ocean as the three of them walked down the plank sidewalk on the main street towards Kodi's. It felt much warmer now and their breath only produced a small cloud of steam which dissipated over their heads instantly.

"So where are we going Jenna?" Cleo asked.

"We're going to go to meet my son Kodi first, then I have to go escort a girl over to meet my son Dakota."

"So this Dakota must not be very good at picking girls?" Benson asked quietly.

"Not so much at picking girls as he is at lying and trying to pump himself up to something bigger than he is." Jenna replied. "This girl I'm going to introduce him to has a good head on her shoulders and a great big crush on him. She's just been to shy to say anything about it to him. I think it will work out, I have a feeling."

They walked along in silence for some time. Then Benson spoke up. "So where does this Balto live? I would like to meet him and have him along while we meet your children if it's possible."

Jenna bit her lower lip as she looked away. "He lives outside of town. It's going to be a bit of a walk to meet him. It's a mile or so." She looked back at her father.

Benson looked at his daughter. "I would gladly walk ten miles to meet him and have him along with us. I mean if he did what you say he did, and he's the kind of good guy you say he is, then it would be the least I could do to go and meet him and thank him for what he did."

"I don't think I could walk that far." Cleo cut in. "Maybe later you and Jenna could go meet him and bring him to the house so I can meet this Balto for myself."

"I suppose we could do it that way." Benson replied to Cleo.

They continued on through the streets. Jenna walked along with them, although she felt far away from herself.

When they got to Kodi's the house looked peaceful and quiet and the poplar trees behind the house swayed gently in the breeze. The orange and red leaves on the trees pulsated like little spotlights coming on and off at different times. Everything looked the same as the night before, except now Jenna could see it all very clearly.

Kodi lay sleeping in his doghouse as they came walking up. Dusty – who's plywood doghouse stood right next to Kodi's – jumped up and went and whispered something in Kodi's ear. Kodi opened his eyes and then he got up and stretched. Dusty joined in next to Kodi as they walked to the edge of the yard to meet.

"Good afternoon Kodi, Dusty." Jenna said coming to a stop. "I would like you to meet my father, Benson, and my mother Cleo." Jenna looked at each in turn. "Mom, Dad, I would like you to meet Kodi and Dusty."

From the far back of the yard near the house Ralph and Kirby began to stir from their houses and make their way to the small group. Jenna noticed them coming. "And those two over there are Kirby and Ralph. The one on the left is Ralph." Kirby and Ralph joined in the little circle. Jenna continued. "Kirby, Ralph, these are my parents Benson and Cleo."

"Hello." Kirby said.

"Hi." Ralph retorted.

"Kirby, Ralph." Benson smiled and bowed his head in acknowledgment.

"Nice to meet you Benson." Kodi said. "I've heard a little about your adventures, but what I've heard sounds like you're quiet a dog."

"Yeah Jenna's told us lots of things," Dusty cut in.

"I hope she hasn't painted a hero's portrait." Benson laughed deeply. "I've also heard some things about you Kodi, and you sound like you got something good going for you. I've heard of your-." In the middle of his sentence Benson let his eye's fall to Kodi's feet. He realized had never seen feet this big on a dog before. "-Wow!" He said aloud before he realized it.

"What?" Jenna asked.

Benson realized everyone had heard him and he felt ashamed for reacting like he had. "Oh … nothing bad or anything. I just noticed your feet Kodi."

Everyone looked at Kodi's feet. To his teammates and mother they weren't any different.

"Oh my." Cleo responded as she looked at them.

Kodi laughed it off. "What's wrong with them?"

"Well nothing really," Benson replied sheepishly. "It's just I've never seen feet that big on a dog before."

Kodi smiled and took a sidelong glance at his mother before locking eye's with Benson. "I guess I just inherited them from my father."

Benson laughed at his own joke before talking. "Well you know what they say about big feet … big father."

Everyone laughed.

"Yeah, my dad's pretty big. He's still bigger than me." Kodi replied. "But I have him beat in speed."

"So what breed is your father?" Benson asked simply. "I don't believe Jenna has told us."

Jenna, Dusty, Kirby, and Ralph all looked at Kodi and realized this could be a question he might choke on and the whole thing might crash down in a clatter of uncertainty. Undoubtedly Kodi looked like he was about to choke as he looked into the top of his skull searching for the answer among his eyebrows. "You know sir, I'm not quiet sure."

"What about you Jenna?" Benson asked. "Do you know what breed your mate is?"

"Yes Jenna, you must know." Cleo pressed.

Jenna froze as she searched the distance for the answer. Nothing came and she felt panic creeping up her spine as she carried on searching for a good five seconds while everyone looked on a waited with a silent patience.

"Come on you guys." Kirby cut in rudely and without notice. "Everyone knows he's half w-"

Before he could say anymore Ralph jumped on him and wrestled him to the ground and had him chocked under his right forearm. Their bodies' scrambled and kicked viciously against the ground and each other. Both of them barked wildly and made a terrible racket like a saw cutting into a tin roof.

Dusty jumped in the center of the circle, suddenly explaining as Kirby and Ralph wrestled like maniacs in the dirt behind her while Kodi watched them go at it from nearby. "You have to excuse my teammates sometimes they have … issues."

"I can see." Cleo replied rather callous.

"Well," Jenna spoke up. "I'm sorry mom and dad, but we have to keep going. I have to go get this girl to meet my other son."

They hurried away from the scene. Jenna looked back just as the team began to go out of sight. Kirby sat up while the rest of them looked at him and talked in a very brutal way. He looked genuinely sorry and unsure of what he had said wrong.

They went through the town to Quin's house and Jenna barked at the upstairs window. Quin's white face appeared in the window and she looked out at who barked and then came rushing down the stairs and to the door. She scratched at it, and a moment later her master opened the door and Quin came out.

Quin's fur had an off-white mixed in with splotches of grey - especially around her face. She had a very slim and muscular physic with a huge fluffy tail like a lace stage curtain.

"Good afternoon Jenna." She said quietly. Quin then looked at Jenna's guests and cleared her throat and waited to be introduced.

Jenna didn't pick up on it right away, but she got it in a moment. "Oh! I'm sorry. Quin this is my dad Benson, and my mother Cleo. Mom, dad, this is Quin."

Quin smiled. "It's very nice to meet you two. Did you arrive here in Nome recently?"

"Yes." Cleo replied. "We got her just this afternoon."

"Oh, I hope you two have a lovely time here. You should get Jenna to show you the falls up the valley. They're very beautiful this time of year, especially with the trees in their fall colors."

Jenna looked at the sun and knew she had to push everyone along. She especially didn't want Quin to start talking about Balto since she wasn't in on what was going on. "Okay, I'm sorry to rush our visit. But we have to get going."

"Oh no problem Jenna." Quin said simply. "I'm ready to go."

They turned and went down the street towards the boiler room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When they got to the boiler room they found the room empty and vacated for some time. For a while they sat around and waited for Dakota to come, but finally Jenna figured he had run out on them. Jenna decided they would just take Quin back to her house and go see Balto, much to Benson's delight.

Quin looked notably let down from the whole ordeal. She walked back to her house with her head hung low and talked listlessly about nothing in particular.

Once they got Quin home, Cleo began to complain about her hips and how she didn't think she could make the walk to meet Balto. She then asked for Jenna and Benson to bring the young boy by just so she could lay her eyes on him.

Jenna didn't particularly want to go see Balto with just her father. She saw some event breaking out and somebody getting hurt emotionally or physically. But Jenna knew she couldn't push her mother to do something more than her body would allow her. So Benson and Jenna took Cleo back to the house. Cleo bid them farewell with a smile as she scratched at the door.

Benson and Jenna walked along side by side like they had done long ago in a place far away. The sun had fallen even further towards the horizon and the shadows of the buildings stretched further and further towards the east. They strolled on together through the alleys and streets as Benson told Jenna a story like he had a million times before.

"So Sam and I are walking along this ridge. Now we're up high, real high up. We're way up above the trees, we're even up above the clouds. Now ..."

But Jenna couldn't really pay attention. Every now and then she could give her father a smile and nod and say things in an agreeing way. "Yeah, okay, wow." She found herself repeating them over and over again and feeling like a robot permanently trying to be happy.

Jenna's thoughts kept going to how much she didn't want to do this. If only she could do something different than just introduce her dad to Balto. Maybe they could set up some sort of act and Balto could save Jenna and everything would be okay? Maybe then Benson would have a fondness for Balto. But this only sounded childish and went against everything Jenna was trying to avoid.

Suddenly the thought of lying to her father didn't feel like such a bad thing. Besides it would only be a little-white-lie, right? It didn't matter now; she couldn't go back and change anything. She could only chug forwards and hope for the best.

"Jenna?"

Jenna looked up at her father. The sudden realization she had been caught not paying attention dawned in her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just thinking."

"What about?"

Jenna looked away from her father. A young lady walked down the other side of the street with a little boy following her. "About you."

Benson laughed. "You were thinking about me, but couldn't pay attention? What was it you were thinking about?"

"Papa," Jenna looked at her father. "Do you still hunt wolves?"

Benson's eyes went up in his head and his ears flattened as if he hadn't expected the question at all. He chuckled uneasily "Why do you want to know?"

"I just want to know if you do."

Benson smiled halfheartedly. "I don't hunt wolves any more. I haven't in a long time. My hips are to shot to be running in the snow. I just don't have the body to do it any more. I used to be able to keep up with any wolf. Then I couldn't keep the lead for more than a mile, than I could keep it at all. Eventually all I could do was follow everyone else. … It's just a pain growing old." Benson's face fell to the ground as if sick. But from somewhere there came a smile

The answer wasn't the one Jenna wanted exactly. "What I mean dad, is if you could hunt wolves today, would you?"

Benson didn't hesitate. "Yes. Nothing gives me such a thrill as hunting wolves. Why?"

"No reason." Jenna looked away as if a knife had been thrust at her. This wasn't going to go well and she knew it.

Benson and Jenna went out from the town and headed along the coast towards the boat. Neither of them spoke as they slowly walked along after their shadows in the sand. As they drew under the back end of the boat and the next several miles of coast opened up before them Benson began.

"So where does Balto live? I don't see any houses out here." He stopped and looked around. "Am I just not seeing what I'm supposed to?" He smiled.

"No." Jenna cringed inwardly as she searched the deck of the boat for with a casual glance. She didn't see him. "You see what I do. He lives on the boat." She pointed her nose towards it.

Benson looked at the boat above them, an old and decrepit thing wasting away into the dirt and the sea. He turned back to Jenna. "Are you joking? You got to be joking." He smiled, Jenna didn't, and Benson lost his smile. "So why does he live out here if he's such a town hero?"

Jenna shrugged her shoulders as if she didn't know. "Well, he's kind of a … stray."

Benson suddenly began to laugh loudly. "Is that what you've been hiding?" He chuckled. "I've been noticing you've been acting rather strange since we got here." He laughed more. "I thought you might be hiding something from your mother and me. If you thought I would be ashamed of you for loving a stray, don't worry." He looked into Jenna's eyes. "The way you described Balto I thought he was living in a house like you." He chuckled. "You never said he was a stray living on this boat." He smiled. "I would still love to meet this boy." Benson noticed Jenna's eyes hadn't changed as he tried to reassure her. "Is there something else you need to tell me?"

Jenna noticed Balto peeking around the backside of the boat. He stood in the shadows, his yellow eyes shining bright.

"Well, sort of."

"Well then spill it. I think I can handle it." Benson noticed Jenna looking behind him. He turned his gaze towards the boat. "Is he over there?" Benson walked briskly towards the boat.

"Yes, but papa." Jenna said bolting after her father, but before she could stop him he moved around the edge of the boat and stood looking. "There's something you should know. It's something you might not be comfortable with…"

Benson stood and looked down the boat's length, nothing. He turned back to Jenna. "There's nobody there."

Suddenly the gangplank above them rattled as feet ran up it's length. A shadow moved across the ground. A set of feet landed on the deck and neither Benson nor Jenna saw who had done it.

"Hey Balto." Benson said moving to the bottom of the plank. "Come out here. You don't need to be shy."

Nothing moved on the deck. Benson moved to go up it when Jenna jumped in his way.

"Please Papa, there's something you need to know."

Benson looked flustered at his daughter. "Well then out with it."

Jenna sighed. She stepped off the plank and sat next to her father who sat back as she did. "Balto, you can come out now."

From up on the deck there came movement, followed by a figure coming out from behind the deck and looking down at them with his bright yellow eyes. "Hello." He said meekly.

Benson looked at Jenna with his jaw slack and his eyes wider than they had ever been. "Is this … Balto?"

"Yes, papa I wanted to tell you he was-"

"-A wolf!!!" Benson screamed at his daughter. "Of all the mates you could choose from in this town you chose a bloody wolf!!! What would posses you to do such a thing?"

"Papa he's not a full wolf, he's only a half wolf, he just looks like he's a full wolf. And I love him, and he loves me. Please papa can you just accept him?" Jenna pleaded with tears growing in her eyes.

Benson said nothing more. He stared at his daughter for a long time, and then took one final look at Balto who still stood above him. He then stood and turned and went walking around the edge of the boat towards the town.

Jenna moved to the edge of the boat and watched him go down the beach in silence as Balto joined her side. Balto nuzzled the side of his mate's face. "That didn't go so bad." He tried to joke, but Jenna didn't want to joke.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Cleo sat up from the living room rug, surprised by the scratch on the door. It had hardly been more than a half-hour according to the grandfather clock in the corner. She watched the kitchen from the living room as Rosy bounded down the stairs with a toy train and a new sweater wrapped tightly around her. She opened the door and gave Benson a pat and compassionate, "Good boy. Come on in out of that cold." She closed the door and went back up the stairs as Benson moved to the edge of the fire and sat with a deeply disturbed look.

"Benson?" Cleo said gently.

He didn't answer. He stared into the fire and the hot coals which burned behind the chain-link fireguard like a lost soul.

Cleo moved closer to her mate. "Benson, is something wrong?" She let her left paw touch his right one.

His eyes moved to her paw and then to her face in a reflex action. Cleo saw the look of pain in his eyes. It was the kind of look which told her Benson had not only been stepped on, but was powerless to defend himself against it.

"Did something happen?" She asked.

"I feel betrayed." He replied "I feel as if my heart has been ripped out of my chest by the only one I ever held dear to it." He continued to stare into the fire.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked in as sweet a voice as she could. "I'll try and-"

"No!" He said with definitive bite in his voice. He turned and walked away from the fire and to the bottom of the stairs. Benson turned and looked at his mate. "Jenna can tell you what happened." With nothing more said, he turned and went up the stairs and vanished into one of the rooms.

Cleo turned back and looked into the fire and lay down to wait for Jenna to come home and tell the story. She didn't bother to go and talk to Benson. She knew better than to push him when he trapped himself in this state.

For a long time Benson laid at the foot of his master's bed and stared at the door waiting for someone to come and see him. Nobody did and he felt grateful for it. He didn't particularly want to talk to anyone, especially his daughter. He just wanted to lay there until it came time to get back on the boat and return to Mukluk. Unfortunately for Benson, his mind began to go around and around about the things he knew which he didn't want to know or even ask.

How could she betray him like this? How could she do it? Why didn't she just hide it from him? It would have been better to die having never met this Balto, then to have met him. Now he just didn't know. He just didn't know what to think. He didn't want her to know Balto. He especially didn't want Jenna to have children with this wolf. Now her children had wolf blood in them. It explained the feet on her son. Everything felt so wrong and out of order.

Benson closed his eyes and tried vainly to wake up from this terrible nightmare. It didn't work so he tried instead to fall asleep. This didn't work either. But as Benson's wandered through everything he knew about Balto, a small fact came to mind. If Jenna's story rang true, then there would be one dog who possibly hated Balto more than he. One dog who might be young enough and lustful enough to get Balto back. One dog who might still love Jenna and take care of her better than a mongrel wolf who lives on a boat out on the edge of town.

Benson rose to his feet and went to the window. The window stood open just a crack and he shoved his nose into it and raised the window up with a long creek. Benson took a look behind him to see if anybody had heard. Nobody came and Benson leaned his head out to see his way down.

About four feet below him a roof jettisoned out, which would lead to the woodpile and then to the ground. Benson jumped through the window and down to the roof. He then walked down to the corner of the roof and looked around to see if anybody might be watching. Nobody was around, and Benson jumped onto the wood pile and down onto the ground. He walked off as quickly as he could to find Steel and tell him of his plan.

Benson walked briskly through the town. He didn't want to be gone long less somebody notice his absence and wonder where he had gone to. The last thing he wanted would be too many nosy questions, especially with what he had in mind.

The sun set and the stars came out above the streets like pinholes in a giant blanket. Lamps came on here and there in the dark windows. A cold wind began to blow in from the north and choke the streets of life.

Here and there Benson found a dog or a group of dogs hiding from the wind. Each time he saw them he walked up and asked politely. "Do any of you happen to know where I can find a dog named Steel?"

Most of the time he got a shrug and an apology for not knowing. Occasionally he got a direction to where he might find somebody who would know. But each lead went nowhere, and every dog at the end of every dark alley didn't know anything. It seemed as though Benson had asked a hundred dogs, and not one of them could help.

Benson knew he should be getting back before somebody realized he had disappeared. He turned down an alley headed towards Jenna's with his head hung low in defeat. Benson walked half a block when a dog came rounding a corner in front of him and headed his way with a nonchalant strut. He didn't look like much of a dog. He looked quiet small and tan with darker stripes. What would it hurt to ask another dog, especially on his way home?

"Excuse me." Benson said as the small dog grew closer. "I was wondering if I could ask you a question."

The dog stopped in front of Benson and looked him over with a practiced eye for character. "I guess you can."

"Do you know where I can find a dog named Steel?"

"Steel?" The dog retorted with a laugh. "What do you want to know that lazy dog for?"

Benson smirked. "I just have some business to talk with him. Do you know where I can find him?"

The small dog shrugged his shoulders. "Sure. He spends most of his time in the abandoned bar over by the river. It's the one sliding off the bank into the water. Just go around back and up the stairs. He's probably in there somewhere. If he's not there just wait, he doesn't usually go far."

"Thank you." Benson smiled. "Now can I ask for directions on how to get to this place?"

The small dog's directions led him right to the front of the bar. The doors had been boarded up long ago and all the windows busted out and covered over with boards more recently. One side of the building hung a good three feet out over the river. The sidewalk in front hung crooked and broken for ten feet out over the water. The entire building leaned as if it would slide down the bank and crash into the water at any moment. On the other side of the building a small three foot wide alley led around to the back.

Benson followed the alley to the back, and just like the small dog said there stood a crooked set of stairs leading up to a second story. Benson stopped at the bottom of the stairs where an old muddy spot had frozen solid. He sniffed at the spot and looked at the prints sealed in it until next spring. A dog most definitely went up and down the stairs, and he did it quiet often by the smell.

Benson climbed the stairs quietly, taking each step with the same kind of care as crossing a bridge made of glass. At the top of the stairs he found a door left slightly ajar. Benson quietly pushed his way in and let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the hallway.

Everything inside leaned noticeably towards the river. He could see a table tipped over and a broken glass against the far corner of the hallway. On the floor were bones and bits and pieces of garbage leading in a trail. He could also hear someone breathing.

Benson pushed his way into the hallway and moved carefully along with his ears open and awake. The first room on his right had the door firmly shut and the trail of garbage stopped there. Behind it he could hear snoring and low mutterings.

Benson stopped in front of it and put his paw on the door. He pushed. The door moved in but wouldn't move easily against the carpet. He pushed with a firmer paw and the door opened enough for him to get in.

Inside the room looked torn apart like a wolf den. Garbage littered the floor from one end to the other and back. Against the walls the garbage and bones stood nearly six inches deep. Bones and meat scraps made the room stink like the inside of a rotting corpse. The wind blew in through a broken window covered over with drapes which ruffled noiselessly. The breeze only provided a small relief to the overpowering stench.

On the far wall from the door in the shadows Benson could make out a tattered mattress on the floor. A blanket sat ruffled over a sleeping body. Benson moved closer and stood looking down at a pair of legs and the tip of a white tail sticking out towards him.

It didn't take Benson more than a moment to asses the situation. This dog truly sat at the bottom of the totem pole. He had nothing, and Benson knew the name of the culprit who caused this dog's decent to the bottom of the barrel, and it was Balto.

Benson moved into the shadow in the corner near the bed and sat down to just let everything take hold. It did, and Benson sat there with a new resolve to scrub Balto off the face of the planet. But first he had to rouse Steel.

On the floor near Benson lay a dozen or so bones of various sizes with bits of dried or rotting meat left. Benson picket out a large bone and moved it with discretion. He then moved other bones until he had a clear shot. Then with a quick flick of his front right paw he sent the bone clattering across the floor to the door.

Instantly the dog under the blanket stood up and turned to the door. "Who's there?" He demanded shaking the covers from his back. He looked at the door. "Answer now!"

Benson remained silent. He watched the dog walk across the room, carefully moving towards the open door. Steel looked terrible. His fur looked dirty and stuck up in tufts all around his body. He had blotches of some sticky substance which made his fur thick and matted. On his right side the fur had become so matted and unclean it had started to fall off his body in clumps.

Steel stopped at the door and looked out into hallway. "Who's there?" He demanded again.

"I'm right here." Benson replied from his shadowy hiding place.

Steel turned and stood growling at Benson. "Who are you? What are you doing here? How did you get in? Never mind, get out!"

"Don't worry." Benson replied stepping out of the shadows. "I'm not here to do anything but talk to you."

"I don't want to talk. Now get out before I make you." Steel growled and lowered his head. He bared his teeth and took a stance to fight.

"I want to talk to you about a problem we both have."

"I have no problems." Steel growled. "My life is just fine. Now leave!"

"No." Benson replied sternly. "I want to talk."

Steel could tell he would get nowhere with this dog. "I said get out!" He barked as loud as he could.

"I want to talk to you about Balto."

At this Steel stopped baring his teeth, but remained in a fighting stance. He looked with new eyes at the dog intruding in his home. "Who are you?" He said in a calmer tone.

"My name is Benson. I am Jenna's father."

Steel took a moment to see if Benson was lying. He then sat up in an easier way and looked at Benson. "What do you want to say about Balto?"

"I want to know something else first."

"What?"

"I want to know if you want the best for my daughter."

Steel took a moment to answer. "I only want her to have, and to be, perfection."

Benson smirked. "Then do you want to help me remove the one spot of imperfection from her life?"

"Yes." Steel smiled.

"Good." Benson smiled. They both stood looking at each other with their devious grins. Benson turned and began to pace back and forth across the room. "I want to tell you of a plan I have for taking care of Balto for good. But I'm old and I cannot take care of Balto on my own. So I need to recruit a couple dogs to help me with my plan. Can you get a couple other dogs who will gladly take care of Balto and remain quiet about the whole thing?"

"I know of at least four or five who want nothing more than to have a chance to rip Balto to shreds." Steel grinned.

Benson moved to Steel and sat next to him. "Then let me share with you an idea I have."

Steel giggled maliciously. "I'm all ears."

Cleo heard the scratch on the door and sat up in anticipation. She looked to the kitchen and waited for somebody to come down the stairs and let Jenna in. Nobody jumped to the scene, so Cleo helped things out and barked a couple times. From up the stairs Rosy's mother came down and walked over to Cleo. "What's the matter? Why are you barking?"

Jenna scratched on the door again, and Rosy's mother went to the kitchen to let Jenna in. "I see what you were barking about." She opened the door and Jenna pushed her way in. She shook her fur off as the door closed behind her.

Rosy's mother went back up the stairs and Jenna went and sat next to her mother in front of the dying fire.

"Jenna," Cleo began. "What happened? You're father came in here telling me he felt like his heart had been ripped out."

Jenna looked at her mother. "I knew he wouldn't understand." She looked into the fire as if burning something away from her eyes.

"What happened with Balto?" Cleo pressed. "Something must have happened to bring your father down like that."

Jenna shrugged and looked back at her mother. "Everything went the way it was supposed to. Dad just didn't take it all to well." Jenna went silent, but her face said more would come. "I just wish daddy would have let all his resentment go. He just couldn't do it."

"His resentment for what?" Cleo asked.

Jenna looked at her mother. "Can I show you something?"

"Of course."

Jenna rose to her feet and went into the kitchen with Cleo trailing behind her. "I want you to meet Balto. I asked him to wait outside so you can meet him." Jenna scratched on the door and barked.

From upstairs they could hear people talking, then came the pattering of small feet. Rosy appeared at the other end of the kitchen. "What do you two want?" She moved to the door and grabbed the knob. "Do you want to go out? I know you just came in Jenna." She opened the door. "Yeah, you two want to go out." She closed the door behind them.

Cleo and Jenna let their eyes adjust to the dark of the evening. "Come on out Balto." Jenna called.

From the shadows something moved towards them. Jenna moved towards it then turned to her mother. "Mom, I'd like you to meet Balto."

Cleo had trouble letting her eye's adjust, but when they did she clearly recognized Balto's form. She looked at Jenna with a shock. "Oh, Jenna." She shook her head in loss. "Jenna, Jenna, Jenna … No wonder your father looked so down." She smiled as she let her eye's go up to Balto's face. "Don't get me wrong Balto. It's very nice to meet you. It's just Jenna's father has his issues with wolves."

"I know." Balto replied sweetly. "But what should we do now?"

Jenna shook her head. "I don't know."

Cleo looked at Balto. "Maybe we should just try and let this die. Maybe it would be for the better if Balto just laid low until we leave."

"Maybe it would." Balto said simply. "I'll just hide out for a couple days."

Cleo then looked at Jenna. "And don't worry Jenna. I'll talk to your father early tomorrow when he's ready."

For a while the three of them stood outside talking lightly and trying to ignore the fact of what would come. After a time Balto turned. "Well, it was nice meeting you Cleo. I don't know if I'll see you again. So …"

"Don't worry Balto. It was very nice to meet you. I know Jenna has a very caring dog – I mean …" She stopped with her loss of words. "A very fine lover." She grinned.

Balto grinned back at her. "Thank you Cleo. I guess I should get going before Benson wonders where you two are."

Balto began to turn away when Jenna shoved forwards and nuzzled Balto. "I'll talk to you in a few days after my parents have gone."

"I'll be out where I usually am." He said turning and walking away. Balto turned just before he went out of sight. "I'll be waiting." Balto then moved around the edge of a building and headed out towards the boat.

Little did any of them know of the two sets of eyes watching from the shadows.

Balto hadn't gone far down the back alleys towards the edge of town and his boat when he heard someone running up behind him. It had to be Jenna come to say one last goodbye, or else someone ready to fight. He turned cautiously and looked at who it was.

To Balto's surprise it wasn't Jenna, but Benson. He dogged on quickly with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. "Wait." He called when he saw Balto looking at him. "Please wait Balto."

Balto turned full around and stood ready to run away if Benson decided he wanted to fight.

Benson stopped in front of Balto and took a moment to catch his breath. "I just wanted to say a few things." He said quickly. As his breath caught up to him he raised his head and looked Balto full on in the face. "I just wanted to say I was sorry for what I did today. There's not excuse for my prejudice against you. I didn't expect … this." He said simply. "So I hope you can accept my apology Balto."

Balto felt his heart swell a little. "Of course I can Benson."

"And I hope you and me could become a little better acquainted on a walk."

"Right now?" Balto asked absently looking at the dark sky.

"No." Benson shook his head for effect. "It's to late to be going on the kind of walk I want to. I want to go tomorrow, early, probably before the sun rises."

"I can do that. What kind of hike are you up for?"

"I heard Jenna telling me about some waterfall up the Nome River. Is that far?"

"It will take half of the day to get there." Balto said.

"I think I can handle a good long walk with my daughters mate. I just want to take some time to get to know you and you to get to know me." Benson said.

"Where do you want to meet then?"

"How about right here. I can remember where we are."

Balto smiled. The pride in his heart swelled. He couldn't wait to tell Jenna about this little meeting. "Do you want me to walk you back?" Balto offered. He thought about his walking in with Benson would bring a stunned look to Jenna and Cleo's face.

"No, no. I would like to do it tomorrow if we could. I want to surprise Jenna and Cleo then. So could we just keep this our little secret until then?"

"Of course." Balto replied with a grin.

"Great! So right here at dawn tomorrow, right?"

"Yes." Balto replied.

"Then sleep well Balto." Benson turned and walked into the darkness down the alley.

Balto turned back to the boat with pride swelling in his heart. He had got Jenna's fathers respect in just a moment. Already he could see the satisfied look on Jenna's face when he came walking in with her father. Balto positively floated to his boat and spent a long time falling asleep.

But somebody else, hiding in the shadows at the end of the alley, watched Balto leave.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next morning Balto awoke early and stepped out of the helm of the boat to look at the sky. The sky looked down on him like a dark and ruffled blanket heavy with snow. From the north blew a cold and bitter wind carrying the first few flakes. In Balto's sudden exultation at being accepted by Jenna's father, he had forgotten about the storm coming in.

Behind Balto came a long yawn. "Oh … what are you doing up so early? I thought you hated morning?" Boris asked. His eye's drifted towards the sky. "And I don't know what you would be doing up on a day like today. It looks terrible." Boris suddenly turned. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Boris." Balto called after him. "I need to go talk with Benson this morning. We agreed to go on a walk, but I forgot about the weather."

"Yeah yeah," Boris stretched his wings up, yawned and lay down against Muk's side. "I'll remember."

Balto quickly walked off the boat and aimed towards town. It wouldn't take more than a moment to reschedule the whole thing. In fact Balto figured Benson had already decided it would be better to go another day.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Balto asked in disbelief.

"Oh of course." Benson smiled. "I love the winter weather. It makes me feel young again." He grinned.

Balto felt unsure about the whole thing. This wasn't just some passing storm; this was the first storm of winter. It would be brutal, with winds blasting in the mountains at well over a hundred miles an hour, snow falling so fast tracks could get lost in seconds, and deep heat-killing cold. No, this didn't seem like a wise idea at all.

"I don't know Benson."

Benson's eye's narrowed. "What? Are you afraid?"

Balto scowled. "Not so much for me, as for you. I'd hate to get out there and-"

"You don't think I can handle myself?" Benson growled, clearly upset. "I'll have you know that I'm in my peak, my prime. I can do anything you can do."

Balto thought about it. He still didn't like it.

"And nothing says we have to go all the way to the falls. We can just go a ways, get out in the snow to chat amongst ourselves. Just enough walking and talking to let me get to know my daughters life-mate … and call him son." Benson nearly vomited as the word left his mouth.

Balto still didn't like it. The storm could really get going, start driving down the valley like a freight train. They could end up in a bad position really quick. But on the other hand, it could be exhilarating and wonderful. Both of them out in the wilderness, a sense of danger looming, a father and his son-in-law bonding. Balto also knew it would be great to be called son.

"I guess that would be alright. I'd like to tell Jenna what we're doing though just in case something happens."

"No need." Benson smiled. "I told her you and me were going to go this morning. After I saw how bad the weather was I knew I had to tell her. We couldn't just up and vanish, it would be frightening."

"You're sure she knows where we're going?" Balto asked.

"Of course she does. I made sure of everything. Now come on, let's get going. I've been sitting around here long enough." Benson stood up, turned, and strolled down the alley towards the hills.

Balto still didn't like it. He always personally told Jenna where he was going out into the mountains, and when he planned to get back. But then again, Benson was Jenna's father. Why should he doubt him? After all, Benson had done a complete turn around on how he viewed Balto.

"You coming Balto, or what?" Benson called back over his shoulder.

"Yeah, coming." Balto replied, and ran to catch up.

Somewhere behind Balto a shadow moved away and down the street.

They crested the top of the first hill as the first real flakes began to pelt them. Balto looked back towards the town. He could still see the dim outline of the buildings from two miles out. So the storm wasn't coming as fast as he though, although the wind and cold at the crest of the hill were almost unbearable and said otherwise. But Bensons seemed to be taking it well enough, so Balto bit his lip, and kept walking.

"So Benson." Balto yelled into the wind. "What made you change your mind about me?"

"Jenna did." Benson yelled back over his shoulder. He paused and breathed hard as Balto caught up to him. "I figured, if she could love you, and have children with you, then there must be something about you … something good inside you." Benson and Balto resumed walking shoulder to shoulder. "So I figured I should get to find out what that is." Benson looked over at Balto. "So what's so special about you? What does my Jenna see?"

Balto shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I guess she sees past what I am on the outside. She always did, even when we were young?"

"You knew Jenna when she was a pup?" Benson asked peacefully. But internally he gritted and cracked his teeth with rage.

"Yeah. She was the first dog I met in town. Well, I met others, but they couldn't see past the wolf thing, and would always try and pick fights with me and call me names. Jenna saw who I truly was though."

"I see." Benson smiled.

"But she was wonderful. I loved her then, like I love her now." Balto finished with a dreamy appreciation in his eye's.

"What about the other dogs who tried to pick fights with you because of your being a wolf? You must have become a good brawler?" Benson smirked. "Taken a few of them down, right?"

Balto shook his head. "No, I never got into a fight over my wolf heritage. I wouldn't have been around to long if I was always beating up the best sled-dogs in Nome. So I never became a very good fighter. I became a good fighter with my wits and my paws though." Balto grinned and chuckled at his own joke, but Benson didn't.

Benson raised his eyebrow. "So you weren't much of a fighter then?"

Balto shook his head again, a little glummer this time. "No."

They crossed over to the other side of the hill and looked down into the Nome river valley. Snow stuck to the grass and blew about them in a frenzy. Ahead they could see the river snaking back and forth with bare tree's clumped together along its flank.

Benson peered straight ahead, as if looking for something out in the snow near the river. "What say we pick up the pace? I need to get these old joints moving." Benson lurched ahead and dashed down the hill, kicking up a flurry of flakes.

Balto followed in suit.

Jenna felt the paw gently prodding her ribs and she rolled over with a groan towards the fire. "Just another minute." She begged through her eyelids as she began to drift off again.

"Jenna wake up." Cleo pleaded, prodding her again.

Jenna opened her eyes and slowly rolled back over. She stared up at her mother and sleepily smiled. "What is it mom?" She yawned.

"You haven't seen Benson this morning, have you?" Cleo asked quietly.

Jenna watched her mothers face for a moment. It'd been a long time since Jenna had seen her up close. She forgot the eloquent way her mother expressed fear. But it kicked in and Jenna sat up, a little more awake. "No mom, I haven't, why?"

"He wasn't here when I woke up this morning. I searched all over the house. I thought he might have gone out before I got up. But I don't think he came back."

Jenna watched her mothers eye's as she told the account. She could sense her mothers fear by the way her eyes darted around. "How long has it been?" Jenna asked.

Cleo shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think he came back last night."

Jenna's eye's opened wide. "You mean he's been out all night?"

"I don't know how he got out. The last time I saw him he went upstairs after going and meeting Balto. I thought at first he might still be up there, but he wasn't." Cleo's lip trembled and her eye's fell to the floor. "I'm afraid he might try and do something."

Jenna's ears and eye's shot up. "Balto!"

Steel watched them coming from nearly a mile off. Snow swirled around them, so they looked like shadows moving across the snowy land. Steel knew to them he looked like nothing more than an extension of the rock he sat on, and with the snow, Balto probably wouldn't see him until it was to late.

Steel grinned and felt a thrill rush from his stomach to his paws. Today would be his day for glory. After today he would be able to get his rightful life back, the life Balto stole.

His mind drifted into what he would do after it all went down. First he'd wash Balto's blood off in the ocean to the west of Nome. Then he'd spend some time cleaning his fur up and making himself look like the dog he one was. Then he'd go with Benson to his house and say they had met the night before and had spent the day out together.

"I'm sorry Jenna, I haven't seen Balto in months." Steel would reply to Jenna.

Of course nothing would ever be found of that wolf-dog. He'd just simply vanish, as if taken away by the river.

Steel started to chuckle.

"What's so funny Steel?" Roller, a large and brutish pit-bull asked. His body shook and shivered with cold as snow built up on his back. He didn't have a nice fur coat, but he had teeth and an appetite to kill.

"Nothing." Steel replied sternly. "Tell the others they're almost here. Catch and subdue the wolf, don't kill him. That pleasure is for me."

Balto guessed they had been gone for nearly two hours and had traveled roughly eight miles from town. And in that time Benson hardly said more than a hundred words to Balto. He was tight lipped, unwilling to go into detail about anything. Balto tried to pry at him with a few questions, but always got rebuffed and asked about Jenna, or the boat he lived on, or some other quandary to change the topic.

Fortunately the weather had held up so far. But Balto knew it wouldn't last much longer. Already he could see the black clouds flexing down out of the mountains, pushing a blanket of icy wind and snow in front of it. They would be coming up on the boulder forest soon, which would probably be as close as they got to the falls.

"Benson?" Balto said turning his head to him.

Benson looked sidelong at Balto. "What?"

"I think we should get going home soon. The storms getting worse. If we go much further we'll get caught in the blizzard."

"Fine." Benson replied. "But let's get to the boulder forest at least. Give me a minute to rest my feet. Jenna told me all about the boulder forest, said it was a nice place to rest."

They walked on towards the boulder forest shoulder to shoulder. But as they did, Balto began to wonder; how did Benson know about the boulder forest? Jenna had never been there, they never stopped when they passed this way. They always went by it because they wanted to get to the falls and back before nightfall. Something didn't smell right about the whole thing.

Jenna sprinted to the boat and up the gangplank where she stopped breathlessly. "Balto?" She called out. But she didn't wait for a response as she ran to the helm of the boat and looked in. Boris lay on his side cuddled up next to a polar bear. "Boris, have you seen Balto?"

Boris rolled slowly over and stretched in a long way, working from his feet all the way to the tip of his wings. He looked over at Jenna. "No, not recently. Why?"

"Did he say where he was going?" Jenna begged.

Boris realized something was up by the way Jenna acted. "Is something wrong?"

"I need to find Balto. I think my father might be trying to kill him." Jenna replied. "Now can you tell me where he is?"

"Yeah." Boris jumped to his feet with the realization of what was going on. "He said he was going to go see someone named Benson. He said he needed to tell him something." Boris looked at the grey sky and blowing flakes of snow. "But that was hours ago already."

"He didn't say where he was going though?" Jenna said sharply.

"No."

Jenna turned and dashed down the gangplank and back towards the town.

The boulders loomed around Balto and Benson like the walls of a castle, carefully guiding them in one direction. They strolled along, Balto in front with Benson bringing up the rear. Snow fell gently down, like confetti on a parade of heroes. There was no wind in between the rocks, so it felt much warmer.

Benson looked up above him and noticed the ears of a dog sticking out over the edge of a boulder. Then a little further on a tuft of snow fell in front of Benson's nose. Benson smiled. "You know Balto, it's going to be hard on Jenna." Benson said out of nowhere.

"What is?" Balto asked.

"You're death." Benson replied simply.

Balto stopped and turned slowly around in the enclosed space. He looked at Benson for a long while. "So you haven't changed your opinions of me." Balto replied simply. "I thought you hadn't."

"No, I'm afraid I can't Balto. You see, I have a vendetta against your kind. I can't have you messing things up anymore with Jenna."

"So you'd break her heart to fulfill your vendetta?" Balto realized there were others listening in on the conversation all around him.

"Her heart will heal in time. She will eventually fall for the right dog."

"Like me." Steel replied from behind Balto.

Balto turned and faced Steel as he stood nonchalantly in the path. "I should have known you would be part of this."

"Don't look so surprised Balto. You knew that one day I would get you back."

Balto growled as something moved in the upper corner of his vision. Above him he could see six or seven dogs looking down on him, smiling like they were hungry and about to be fed. Balto knew most of them, half of them by name. "And what would you be getting me back for? Being a terrible leader who almost caused the death of every child in Nome?

"Enough talk!" Steel barked. "Get him!"

All at once the six dogs above Balto flew down from their perch, snarling and growling in a terrible way. Balto braced down as they landed around him, righted themselves from the fall, and turned towards him.

Balto pushed against the ground with all his strength and leapt up over Steel. Steel leapt up to meet Balto, but Balto flew over him – while his back legs made solid contact with Steels jaws and face, knocking Steel on his back. Balto sped away from them as the dogs turned and bolted over Steel after Balto.

"Get him!" Benson screamed out. "Don't let him live."

Jenna nearly slipped and fell on the slick snow in front of Mr. Simpsons house. Kodi, Kirby, Ralph, and Dusty all jumped out of their doghouses and looked at Jenna as she righted her feet under her. "Kodi, guys, I need your help."

Kodi, recognizing the distressed face on his mother, raced to her. "Mom, what is it?"

"Yeah Jenna?" Dusty said as she jumped up from her doghouse and came running.

"It's Benson, and Balto … I think my dad's trying to kill Balto."

"Kill him?" Kirby's eye's expanded.

"What's killing who?" Ralph chimed in last.

"Listen!" Jenna barked. "I need your help. I need to find Balto or Benson." Everyone stopped and looked at Jenna with rapt attention. "Now we need to split up and search all of town for him. Then we need to expand from there. Everyone needs to take a different part of town, and then meet up back here. Got it?"

"I'll take the east side." Dusty turned and raced towards the river.

"I got South." Kirby said running past Jenna.

"West." Ralph bolted.

Kodi looked at Jenna. "I guess that leaves North for me."

"I'll come with you." Jenna said as she turned and ran up the street. Kodi followed slightly behind her.

Balto dashed across a shallow spot in the open river, spraying up water to match the snow falling down, when suddenly he fell into a hole and went in over his head. Quickly Balto swam to the edge and crawled out and ran up the bank. Not more than a dozen feet behind him six dogs, followed closely by Steel – and further on by Benson, bolted through a different part of the river, only getting their feet wet. They lunged up the riverbank on Balto's heels.

Balto raced through the trees like an obstacle course. He dove over fallen trees and sped down game trails trying not to loose his footing on the slick snow. Finally he broke free of the trees next to the river and raced straight up a rocky slope. Instantly his strength began to fail him, but fortunately his pursuers also lost their zip. Now it was an endurance contest.

Balto moved steadily up the slope, trying not to push himself so hard he would loose his strength and have to stop completely. Up and up he went, climbing higher and higher above the river into the clouds and the snow rushing down until he couldn't see the river below any longer. The snow got thicker and more substantial at his feet as he climbed. The sound of the dogs below him trailed off, but they still remained.

Finally Balto felt he had to stop and rest for just a moment. He stopped and turned and looked down the hill. Below him he could see his tracks leading down into a cloud of blowing snow. He could hear his pursuers steadily marching on not far off. He knew he didn't have more than a minute before they were upon him again. The fur on Balto's neck and back was beginning to freeze solid.

Balto turned and bolted across the hill to a group of tree's barely visible through the snow. Under the trees the snow wasn't as deep as the slope. Quickly Balto dashed up the hill through the trees. He knew he had to lose them as quickly as possible.

Kodi and Jenna sprinted through the street yelling. "Balto!" They crossed down one alley, then shot out onto a street just in front of a man walking along before blasting into another alley. "Balto!"

Suddenly Jenna and Kodi saw someone walking down the street towards them. He turned broadside and indicated he wanted them to stop. Jenna and Kodi stopped in front of the red and cream colored husky with large feet.

"Dakota," Jenna started. "I don't have time to deal with you right now. I need to find Balto." She stepped around him before he could open his mouth.

"But I know where he is." Dakota swiftly replied.

Jenna turned on the double and faced Dakota. "What? Where?"

Dakota spoke calm and soft. "Last night I was coming to tell you why I wasn't in the boiler room to meet Quin. My owner was sick and I had to stay with him until he fell asleep. I was coming around the corner into this alley when I heard dad talking to someone, making plans to go out and have some 'bonding' time. They agreed to meet there this morning. So I went back and watched them leave."

"Where were they going?" Jenna nearly screamed.

Dakota looked shocked and unsure. "Well… er, they said they were going to the falls on the river… but they didn't think they would make it all the way."

Jenna looked at Kodi in a way which made his face turn sour. "We need to get out there."

Balto hobbled along through the trees and rocky outcroppings, trying to stay on the tufts of pine needles and bare rocks to conceal his tracks. The snow fell thick and the wind out the mountains bit to the bone. He knew he was getting into a bad place by climbing the mountain; avalanches, freezing wind, and blind cliffs - not to mention he was wet. But if he could only loose the dogs for a while and sneak back down the mountain he could get home before they realized it and he froze to death.

Balto trotted steadily on, but he knew his strength was beginning to falter badly. His chest heaved, his heart raced, and his head felt light and throbbed with his pulse. His feet began to grown numb. He knew he couldn't keep this up for very long.

Behind him Balto no longer heard the dogs. They had split up shortly after coming to the trees he first entered. At the same time they became very quiet. Now Balto didn't know how far behind him they might be, so he pushed steadily on, leaping from rock to rock, climbing higher.

Up and up he climbed. And then suddenly, he realized there were no more trees and no more up. Balto looked around and saw he had come up the side of a pointed vista. To either side of him sunk deep cliffy valley's filled with snow; prime avalanche territory. Above and before him stretched a field of snow to the very peak of the mountain hidden somewhere above the clouds. Balto knew he would have to risk crossing one of the fields to the left or right. Neither one of them looked particularly safe, so Balto picked the one closer to Nome.

Quickly he jumped down the few rocks and ran through the trees to the valley. Coming out on the edge of the avalanche field which sunk like a funnel, Balto paused. He studied the way ahead. It looked to be about a hundred yard across, the snow looked new, therefore not prone to avalanche. But Balto couldn't be sure of this. There could be a base layer of ice. It could be bad, very bad. Then Balto heard something behind him, someone moving through the trees and rocks close by.

Balto had no other choice. He closed his eye's, "Please Aniu, help me." Then Balto raced forwards.

Benson knew they were close, he could feel it in his bones. A lifetime of hunting like this had made him attune to the fear of fleeing wolves at the moment of capture. He could sense Balto wasn't far now, maybe a couple hundred feet.

"Keep your eye's open." Benson yelled a whisper to the seven dogs fifty feet in front of him. None of them seemed to notice. "He's around here. I can feel it. Make sure he isn't going to come down our flank."

Benson was already at his limit, his hips felt like they were on fire. If this had been a hunt with his master he would have long ago sat down and given up. But he knew he couldn't. Besides, it was only one last hunt. This one was for his daughters pride in the community. He would survive.

They moved in line up the spire. Rocks and trees began to block the path. But Balto's trail still ran true.

"I smell him." One of the dogs yelled out.

"I hear him moving, he's not far."

"There!" Steel growled.

Suddenly the dogs broke into a sprint around the edge of the hill, boulder hopping and scraping through the trees. That is, all except Benson who kept plodding along at the same pace. "Alright boys. Get him!" He yelled in encouragement.

Balto felt as light as a feather. He crossed the expanse of snow – seemingly - without touching his feet down once. Balto stopped in the group of trees on the other side and looked back. Steel stood on the edge of the snow looking across at him. Six other dogs rallied around him. Balto could hear them talking and making plans amongst each other in a frantic way.

Suddenly a commotion broke out, two voices argued. They were yelling at each other. Then Steel and the six dogs bolted back into the trees, heading downhill. Balto knew they were going to find a safer place to cross. Balto was about to turn and run when he noticed a single dog walking towards him across the snow. It was Benson.

Balto waited. He knew he could have run and put more distance between his pursuers and him, but something stopped him. He couldn't just run away and not help him if he fell, could he?

Benson growled bitterly as he started crossing the gorge. Steel was too much of a coward to go out on the snow; they were all cowards to do it. Benson growled as he watched his feet move under him. He thought about how far the others were going to fall behind because of their trepidation. "If you need something done, you just have to do it yourself." He whispered to himself.

Benson looked up at the far edge of the little gully, and was shocked to see Balto standing on the edge of the snow watching him. _I guess the boy's got the gall to fight me. So be it?_ Benson pushed his feet a little faster.

Then suddenly his back paws slipped and fell downhill, dragging the rest of him towards the steep part of the gorge. Benson dug his front paws into the soft snow and kicked with his back paws, managing to stop his decent. Benson looked up, and to his horror, he saw Balto rushing out to him. "Kill an old dog when he's down. Sounds like something a wolf would do."

"I don't want to kill you." Balto replied stopping a dozen feet from Benson.

"Sure you do. It's what you wolves do." Benson kicked furiously with his back legs, but found no purchase. "Don't tell me these lies you coward."

"Benson, I don't want to kill you." Balto reiterated.

Benson kicked again and again, and then found purchase. Toiling hard with his legs he pulled himself up towards Balto. "I'll kill you lobo." He growled as he managed to regain where he had been.

Balto backed up, hesitated as Benson slipped a little, then spoke "Benson, I don't want us to be this way." His eye's turned downhill to a flatter area of snow a hundred and fifty yards downhill. He could barely see Steel and the others through the snow. But he knew it was them and they had found a safer place to cross.

Benson pulled himself up from the fall and crouched there, resting. "It may kill me, but I'll kill you, Balto."

Balto turned and trotted towards the far side. "Benson, don't do this. Let's make amends."

Benson breathed and stood, then began walking towards Balto again.

Balto dashed to the trees, and vanished.

Jenna, Kodi, Kirby, Ralph, Dusty, and Dakota walked in a line to the top of the hill north of town. Dakota stopped as they reached the top of the first hill to catch his breath. The snow blasted his fur and swept his breath away. It was late in the day, and he wondered if he would be back by nightfall, or would they get stuck out in the snow. Dakota turned, and watching Dusty's form vanish into the swirling snow, he rushed to catch up.

Benson ran through the trees. Below him he could see Balto's tracks in the snow and the pine needles. It was up to him now; the others were too far behind to catch up. He would have to do everything. He growled and felt rage building. He'd bath in Balto's blood.

Balto knew Bensons wasn't far behind him. He wished he could have stopped to rest, his feet were freezing and his body ached from the strain and his frozen fur. But Balto knew there would be no chance of rest until he reached Nome. _Don't worry Balto._ Balto said internally. _Every step you take is a step closer to home. Before you know it you'll be with Jenna. Just keep going._

Balto turned around an outcropping of rocks and could see the edge of a cliff sticking out of the snow. He slid to a stop and turned to the left and began making his way down a series of steep rocky steps.

But behind Balto, in the trees where he had changed direction, a dark form appeared. Suddenly the wind blew and erased the tracks Balto made when he slid to a stop. Then a black wolf paw stepped out onto the trail, and turned towards the cliff.

Benson followed the tracks closely with his nose, looking up occasionally to see if he could see Balto. He knew he wasn't far from him now. He'd catch up to him any moment.

Benson turned around a rock outcropping. The wind blew suddenly and violently in his face, momentarily blinding him and causing him to slow. Benson looked up, blinked his eyes quickly, and clearly saw Balto's form sitting on the edge of the trail not more than ten feet in front of him. Without hesitating Benson bolted. "I'll kill you Balto."

The wolf silhouette stood, turned, and ran down the trail.

Benson quickly caught up to Balto, and was about to leap upon his back and have him when the wolf disappeared from in front of his nose, and so did the ground he ran on.

Balto heard the scream coming from high above him and to the right. The scream then moved from above him to down below him in a second where it stopped with a solid thud. Balto picked up the pace; he knew Benson had run off the cliff, taking a tumble of a hundred feet or more.

Steel followed the tracks closely. He could clearly see the wolf ones next to the dog ones. They both looked to be tired. Then Steel, followed by the six dogs, came around a bend in the trail, and there in front of them, was a cliff.

Carefully Steel followed the tracks to the edge of the cliff, making sure they didn't deviate at the last moment. He swept far to the left and to the right to be sure Balto hadn't jumped to the side at the last moment. Sure enough the tracks led where he thought they would, over the cliff. Slowly Steel made his way to the edge and peered out as the wind ruffled his fur. The snow fell so hard he couldn't see the ground, but he was sure of what had happened, the tracks didn't lie.

"Well… what do you see?" Roller said shivering.

Steel turned and strode through the waiting dogs. "All I need to. Let's get back to Nome."

Benson opened his eyes and was surprised he didn't feel any pain. Everything felt light and far away. Yet the fear, and the knowledge of what had just happened, scared Benson, and he began to cry. He tried to move his legs, but they didn't respond. He tasted blood in his mouth and could feel it running out of his nose.

For a moment Benson thought he would pass out again as everything became blurred and indistinct. But then something moved just in front of his vision. It was fuzzy and vague. It could have been a tree shaking in the wind, but Benson soon realized who it was.

"You!!" Benson said in fear. "But, but… this can't be."

The black she-wolf stopped walking and sat down in front of Benson's face. "Don't worry Benson." She smiled.

"No!" Benson growled in fear.

"I've come to take you Benson. I told you one day I would come and get you." The black wolf replied simply and without emotion.

"What? Where are you going to take me?" Benson quivered. "I don't want to leave."

"I've come to take you to the happy hunting grounds." She smiled, and Benson got the feeling she were telling the truth. "I said there were no winners, there were only losers … at least on this plane of life."

"But, but… I don't want to …die." Benson gasped.

"We all die Benson. Did you think you would escape it? All these years your joints were getting stiffer, and it became harder for you to run. You were getting old Benson. You were getting ready to die. Besides, your sister Jenna has been waiting a long time for you."

Benson's eye's perked. "My…sister?"

"Yes. You will see her soon enough. But right now, I'm going to give you some time to do what's right." The she wolf dissipated as if she had been nothing more than a vapor.

Bensons' eye's lowered to a distant tree where a grey wolfdog ran out and towards him. "Benson?" He called as he stopped in front of him. The shock in Balto's eye's betrayed the horror of the accident better than words could.

"Balto." Benson said weakly.

"Don't worry Benson. Don't try and speak. Everything's going to be alright." Balto said as he looked for something he could do, but it all seemed so futile. "Come on, I'll drag you out of this snow, get you into a warm place."

Balto looked around. The only place he could see was the tree he had run out from under. The snow hadn't yet piled up underneath it. It wouldn't be as warm and secure as a den, but it would have to do.

Quickly Balto took hold of the scruff on the back of Bensons neck and drug him across the snow, leaving a deep line of blood in the snow behind him. But the snow fell quickly enough that by the time Balto got Benson under the tree on the dry needles, the blood where he had first lay was covered over and dim.

Balto lay down next to Benson, trying to give him some of his heat, even though he hardly had enough for himself. Benson breathed hard and labored, but he still breathed.

"Balto." Benson finally said.

"What is it? What can I do?"

A single tear ran out of Bensons eye. "I wan… I want you to… be good to, to Jenna."

"I am." Balto replied. "I would die for her."

Benson smiled. "So would …I." Bensons swallowed and breathed hard. "I didn't want to hur… hurt Jenna…. I just, wanted her to be… happy." Bensons' turned his head and looked at Balto. "Now… I se…see, that's what… you wan…want for her, as well." Benson let his head rest again.

"Thank you Benson." Balto replied as a tear graced his cheek.

"Balto, I'm not…not going to, kid you… I'm …dying." Benson breathed hard. He realized out across the snow near another, more distant tree, a black wolf was standing, watching. "I'm sorry… Balto, for ever…everything." Benson realized someone was running across the snow towards him. He couldn't mistake who it was at first. Then it came to him, it was his long dead sister, Jenna. She looked so happy to see him, as if he had been gone for a long time and was about to come home. Benson closed his eyes and turned his head back around towards Balto. "I … want to, tell you some…something Balto… I want to say… I'd, I'd….I'd be… happy to call, you … call you son." Bensons' head fell again and he continued breathing.

Balto began to feel the tears running down his cheeks. They were hot like fire as they left his yellow eyes, but gradually grew cold and frozen as they went down the frozen fur on his cheek. "Don't… don't worry Benson, it's not… I won't let you…" But Balto had nothing to say.

"Its… it's okay, Balto." Benson watched as Jenna grew closer. Soon she stood just a dozen feet from him, waving her paw, indicating him to come on, to go play. Behind her stood the black wolf smiling and patiently waiting. Benson knew he could jump out of his body and go to his sister in an instant, but he had one last thing to say as more tears left his eyes. He smiled. "Tell… tell Jenna, and Cleo, that I love them both, with all my heart."

"I will Benson." Balto sobbed.

"Than…thank you… son."

"It's alright Benson. We'll get you home, we'll get the doctor… and, and, and…" Then Balto felt the cold sweep of death wash over Benson's body. His breath slowly exhaled from his body and did not return.

Balto picked his head up and looked at Bensons face. His eyes were still open, and a giant smile graced his face. But Balto knew he was no longer there. He had gone to the happy hunting grounds. "No!" Balto bit his lips and yelled into Benson's side. "No!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Balto marched steadily towards the south across a land covered in deep white under an equally white sky. There was no definition, no rocks, no trees, and no grass. Nothing except the shivering wolf dog covered with snow steadily moving for reference in the land.

It felt as though days had come and gone already. Shortly after Benson left him, Balto stood and turned and started back towards Nome. Balto thought about what he would tell Jenna. He thought about what he would tell Cleo. How would he tell them all of what happened? Balto didn't know. He only knew he wanted to get home where it was safe and warm. Balto began to cry and his tears froze to his face again. He just didn't know.

Steel would have missed the tracks in the snow if at that exact moment he hadn't stopped and waited for the others to catch up. They were almost buried over. Another ten minutes and no matter how careful he looked and he would have missed them. Steel carefully sniffed the tracks and judged their size. Sure enough they were wolf tracks, and sure enough they smelled of Balto.

"That wolf dogs harder to kill than cockroaches." Steel growled aloud to himself.

The others came up behind him and circled around sniffing the tracks. "Is it him?" Mayfly, an Alaskan malamute with a quick temper asked.

Steel growled as his eye's followed the tracks into the distance. "Yes."

Kodi didn't want to do it. But he felt as the leader of his friends he had to stop his mother before it got much worse. "Mom." She didn't respond, but kept walking into the wind and snow. "Mom!" Kodi yelled louder.

This time she turned and looked at him. "What?"

Kodi sat down. "We need to rest. We can't keep going in this weather. We're exhausted, and the chances that we would run into dad out here are astronomical." Dusty, Ralph, Dakota, Kirby, and Ralph all spread out next to Kodi and sat. They slouched and shivered visibly. Kodi looked at his friends in turn. "It's just too much."

Jenna studied her sons and his friends. "Alright … You rest here, I'll go on."

"Mom no!" Kodi jumped to his feet. "You can't."

Jenna smiled. "Balto wouldn't give up if it was me out there. So neither will I." She turned and started walking into the snow, vanishing almost instantly.

Kodi looked at Dakota, Dakota looked back at him. "What's she doing?" Dakota yelled over the wind.

Kodi stepped closer to his brother. "She says she won't stop until she finds dad."

Dakota's eye's went to where his mother had vanished into the storm. Without a word Dakota stood up and steadily walked into the storm after his mother.

Kodi watched his brother go, and then looked at his team. "What's going on?" Dusty yelled.

"Dusty, guys, I need to go on with my mom and brother. I don't want you to come with me. Go back to Nome, keep warm and safe." Kodi said as he turned and looked where his brother had vanished. He began walking after their quickly fading tracks.

Dusty stood and looked at Kirby and Ralph in turn. They all shook their heads at her silent query, stood, and followed.

_Go on Balto, just one more step. Okay, now take another. Oh wow, you're doing so well. Breath. Are you ready? Yeah. Then let's take another._ Balto's mind sounded like a parent convincing his kid to give up his teeth one at a time. Every step became a tremendous effort. He hadn't felt so exhausted since the serum run. But back then he was younger, recently in love, and not frozen solid. Now Balto was much older, and he didn't have the fresh zeal of love burning in him, only the bitter swelling of needless death.

The wind lessened as Balto grew closer to Nome, but the cold cut to the bone. He had never felt so cold. His entire body shook like death had him and was ringing him like a rag. His fur was as solid as a brass bell. "H_ow…much…further?_" He asked himself through chattering teeth. He feared the answer would be something much too far.

"So Balto."

Balto stopped cold. He turned, crunching his frozen white fur, and looked through the snow behind him. Steel stood defiant. Beside him, gradually appearing through the steadily falling flakes came the others. They all looked healthy and ready to fight.

"_Bensons … dead._" Balto chattered.

"I know. But that doesn't matter, because you aren't dead."

"_Jenna…will…never…have…you._" Balto continued.

"It doesn't matter that much. What's lost is lost. But I can still kill you." Steel took a defiant step forwards, then stopped as his eye's shifted to his left.

"You'd have to kill me as well." Jenna said coming through the snow on Balto's right side.

"Me too." Dakota said standing on Balto's left.

"As well as me." Kodi said appearing on Dakotas left.

"And us." Dusty said as she stepped to Jenna's right side, Kirby and Ralph followed suit.

The dogs all looked at each other with fire burning in their eyes. They sized each other up for the fight to come. The dogs on Steel's side growled viciously and dug their paws in for the charge Steel would command. Kirby, Ralph, Dakota, Dusty, Jenna, and Kodi began growling and baring their teeth, ready to meet Steel's advance.

Steel glared at all of them. His mind looked to be racing behind his furrowed brow. "Enough!!" Steel suddenly barked. His group of dogs all looked at him expectently. "Today you shall live Balto. But one day you won't be so lucky to have your friends by your side." Steel turned into the storm and walked, the other followed, until nothing remained but the white snow.

Balto collapsed into the snow with a grunt. Instantly Jenna leapt onto him. "Balto are you alright."

Balto looked up at her. _"I'm…just…really…cold" _

"Where's my father?" Jenna asked.

To this Balto began to cry.


	9. Conclusion

Conclusion.

(_One week later) _

Outside the front window the sun shined in from a blue sky. Balto lay peacefully next to the fire in Jenna's house relishing the warmth. Jenna lay next to him gently watching the fire with distance in her eyes. Cleo sat nearby; her head hunched low between her shoulders and her eye's rimmed red from the thousands of tears she had shed.

In no way had it been a very happy week like it should have been. Cleo cried and went into long moments of reserved silence after Balto told her what happened to Benson and what his last words had been. Cleo was far from being okay, but she seemed to be coming around to the truth and would probably come to accept it in time. Jenna cried with her mother endlessly for the first few days. And she still had moment when her eye's watered up and she grew silent and distant. But Balto was sure she would survive.

Behind them William stood amid his bags holding two leashes. His baby brother listened. "I guess I don't have much use for this leash. If you see Benson around would you take him in? He's been a good dog to me. It's just such a mystery that he vanished. But I'm not totally surprised."

"I don't know where he could have gone. But don't worry. If he turns up I'll be sure to get him down to you." Williams's brother reassured.

William handed the extra leash over to his brother as his wife Susan came down the stairs carrying her last bag. Rosy and her mother followed closely behind her. "I'm all set – oh wait!" Susan turned and bolted up the stairs between Rosy and her mother. Rosy and her mother followed after her.

Cleo lifted her head and looked cheerlessly at Jenna. "I don't know if you'll ever see me again."

"Oh mom." Jenna said standing and turning and nuzzling her. "Don't talk like that."

"You know as well as me how it is up here. It could be years before my master comes back, and by then I'd be …"

"Shh." Jenna whispered as tears began to form on the crescent of her eye. "You'll be back. Don't worry. You'll be fine."

To this Cleo smiled as a flood of tears ran down her cheeks. "I want you two to be as happy as you can be. Balto, please take care of my Jenna. And Jenna, know I will always love you."

Jenna began to sob. Then the two of them locked into a nuzzle which would never happen again.

Suddenly Susan clipped Cleo's collar with the leash and stood. "Alright Cleo, lets get going before we miss the boat and get stuck here all winter." Susan giggled lightly and pulled towards the door.

Cleo stared at Jenna until the collar pulled her away, and then she turned and walked with the to the bags which the humans lifted and then began shuffling out the door. Cleo followed them without so much as a glance back over her shoulder.

As soon as the door closed Jenna turned and lay down with Balto. She slipped her head in under his, closed her eyes, and cried.

The end.


End file.
